Eno: A’Ibom Will Vote Him for Making Funds Available to States
• Delta gov dismisses Omo-Agege’s threat, declares he can’t be trusted
•Says Tinubu is in-law to Deltans, must be re-elected
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
Governors of Delta and Akwa Ibom states, Sheriff Oborevwori and Umo Eno, yesterday threw their weight behind President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, detailing a number of reasons why the incumbent Nigerian leader is the perfect fit for the country at this period in the nation’s history.
Both politicians insisted that the president deserves a second term for implementing reforms that have boosted revenues available to states and enabled ‘unprecedented’ levels of development at the subnational level.
The two governors, who spoke separately during interviews on ARISE Television, also expressed confidence that their states would overwhelmingly support the president in the next election, citing both political realities on the ground and the tangible impact of federal reforms on state finances.
Declaring that his own re-election was no longer a political concern, having already been settled, Oborevwori said his focus had shifted entirely to securing victory for Tinubu, describing it as his number one project.
According to him, apart from being an in-law to Delta state, returning Tinubu who’s married to Oluremi, an Itsekiri woman, to office would strengthen the state’s voice at the national level and open up greater opportunities for appointments and federal patronage.
“So on the issue of the contest, governorship is not an issue. It’s not an issue. We talk about how to deliver, Mr. President, my president, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which is my number one project. That’s the project, that’s my project. This is because that project is bigger than any other projects.
“This is so that the burden I’m carrying will be light for me because I’m carrying a lot of burden as a governor. People are depending on the state. So that by the time we deliver, we’re able to at least export some people to the national level. So that I will have a voice. Because the report card that I will show will give the state a lot of opportunities for appointment.
“Among the candidates that have emerged, he (Tinubu) is the only one that has affiliation to Delta State. Because Deltans are wise now. The man is an in-law here. So, you need to be evil to vote against your in-law. So, it’s a family affair,” he maintained.
Oborevwori insisted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had little to fear because the government had delivered tangible results to the people. The governor further predicted that the voting pattern that favoured Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in Delta State during the 2023 election would not be repeated.
He added that his administration had successfully built bridges across ethnic and religious lines in the state.
“There are two factors that happened the other time, the Christian community and the Igbo, the non-Indigenes. But I’ve been able to manage them because the Igbo, the non-Indigenes, we’re working together for the interest of the state. And I also believe that what happened that time will not happen again,” he assured.
Beyond political affiliations, Oborevwori credited Tinubu’s economic reforms for improving the state’s financial position. “The reforms and programmes are working very well in Delta State. I don’t know about other places, but I’m talking about Delta State.
“When sometimes I do commissioning, and I tell people that we have money, I tell people, where is it coming from? It’s the reforms. If the reforms are not working, we won’t get more money to pay,” he pointed out.
The governor also dismissed suggestions that former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, could pose any challenge to the APC in Delta state, describing his departure from the party as long anticipated.
“For Ovie Omo-Agege, I will not say, I will not use the word pretentious, because we saw it coming. Before he left, all his people had left over three months ago. So we all are aware. And that was why he was not serious in the contest of the primaries, because he never consulted anybody. He never consulted me. He never consulted the leaders,” he said.
The politicians maintained that the last primary election, which was disputed by the former federal lawmaker, was conducted fairly and transparently and that Omo-Agege’s defeat should have been accepted. “He’s not somebody that he can be trusted,” Oborevwori emphasised.
Similarly, Governor of Akwa Ibom, Eno, who also spoke on Arise TV, said that people had compelling reasons to support Tinubu because federal reforms had significantly expanded the resources available to state governments.
The governor cited the APC’s overwhelming political presence in the state as evidence that the party remained firmly in control. Eno said his support for Tinubu was based on what the administration had enabled states to accomplish.
According to him, the impact of federal reforms can be seen in infrastructure, tourism and economic development across Akwa Ibom.
“First of all, President Bola Amed Tinubu has made funding available for us to do all of the projects we have done. 1,300 kilometers of roads, and to have been able to put up 458 compassionate homes, to be able to support 12,000 elders, to be able to build hospitals.
“To be able in all the 31 local government areas, to build modern schools, solar-powered computer labs in all of the 31 local government areas. These are visible things. To be able to turn around the face of tourism in this state.
“Funding is from the presidency, and we know that we have had these funds. As a sub-national, I can tell you, to look at the reforms, to look at, say, the Calabar-Lagos superhighway that passes through Akwa Ibom, and when that highway is finished, you will understand what it is,” Eno explained.
He also pointed to improvements in macroeconomic indicators as justification for returning Tinubu to office.
“Look at the tax reforms and the benefits to the people. Look at the dollar that is now stable from when he took over. Look at our foreign reserves. Look at the country’s GDP. You will begin to know that there are enough reasons for Akwa Ibom, and indeed Nigerians, to return him to finish the job that he has started,” he stressed.
Calling for political unity in the state, Eno urged stakeholders to rally behind Senate President Godswill Akpabio and pursue what he described as the enlightened interests of Akwa Ibom, stressing that the opportunity to be Nigeria’s number three citizen does not come everyday.
