Following the conclusion the All Progressives Congress primaries, a former Delta South Senatorial aspirant, Sir Itiako “Malik” Ikpokpo, has said the party is fully prepared for the general elections, but urged the leadership and faithful not to rest on their oars, but to intensify the mobilisation of the electorate to ensure all round victory for the party.
Ikpokpo, a former Chairman of Isoko South Local Government Council and former Chairman of the Delta State ALGON, made the call during the gubernatorial primary, same day he received the Delta South APC Senatorial flag bearer, Senator Joel Onowakpo-Thomas, in his country home in Uro.
“We are prepared. We need the Presidency as much as we need the Governorship. That is why we are telling our people to remain focused and committed. We should continue to talk to our people. This is not time for bickering. We should continue to rally our people in the communities.
“It is time to go to our communities, the wards, the units, to sit with the people, talk to them, have townhall meetings, explain to them in areas where there are challenges, and I am sure that as we approach the election season it will be all clear.”
Reflecting on his bid and eventual withdrawal from the Senate ticket race, he said though he had reservations about the management of the process, it was just a contest and not a fight.
“We only contested an election. He is my brother. I didn’t think that the platform was a fair one. If you read my statement very carefully, I chose to withdraw from participating. But I think that it is wisdom that he saw the need to visit me, and I received him as I would receive a brother.
“We are not fighting, we are not quarrelling over anything. We just disagree on his three years of representation. Now that we are where we are, we look forward to conversations that will make us move forward and take further steps.
“I didn’t like the way the process was managed. That is the truth. One thing you cannot take away from me, is my ability to speak my mind. A lot of people mismanaged the process. We are all Isoko people, we have very competent people, but we are where we are today, and we take it from there.”
On the overwhelming endorsement of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori both within and outside the APC, he said it was deserving, considering the good performance of the Governor, and he is optimistic that he would do even better in his second term.
“I do not think that the chances of his re-election is in doubt. He has started well. I know that it can be better, particularly for our people in Isoko. So the second term gives him the opportunity to add value in terms of all that he needs to do for our people.
“For now, we have not seen the other candidates. Mine is to talk about my candidate for Governorship, that is Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori. We believe that he has distinguished himself by his performance. We believe he can do better given another opportunity. We are therefore providing the platform for him to do so in 2027.”
On the mobilisation and enthusiasm of the people, especially during the Governorship and Presidential primaries, he said it was to prove a point.
“In the past few days, we participated in the primary elections to demonstrate our support for the M.O.R.E. and Renewed Hope agenda. We just needed to prove a point based on the conversations we are having as constituents. In Isoko South, Delta South Senatorial district, and Delta State as a whole, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, are the sole candidates of our party for the Presidency and the Governorship, and we just needed to show strength behind them.
“Our participation reflects my commitment to the nnity and progress of our people both in Delta South and Isoko.
“So we went out to mobilise our people, the party members, to come out as much as possible. This will be better demonstrated at the general election.”