Former minister of state for education and leading Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship hopeful in Delta state, Olorogun Barrister Kenneth Gbagi, has said he has clean hands and capacity to industrialize the state, if elected governor in 2023.
Speaking when he met PDP elders and leaders in Udu, Olorogun Gbagi explained that he is the only one that is not a criminal among the governorship aspirants, adding that 92 per cent of them have issues of credibility and accountability.
He expressed optimism that the current governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, would support his aspiration because he has the pedigree to industrialize the state
He noted that Ijaw governorship aspirants from Delta South senatorial district would have overrun Delta Central (Urhobo) in the 2023 scramble for governor, but for his presence.
“Most probably, if I was not in this race, Ijaw people would have taken it from you people. Please quote me, when I confronted my fellow ex-minister, Alaowei Borderick Bozimo, he said, ‘Gbagi, you know we are just doing what we are doing. We know it is the turn of the Urhobos’.
‘Gbagi, you are powerful. If it is the other Urhobos, we will match them’, Gbagi, quoted Bozimo to have said.
Continuing, he told Udu PDP elders and leaders, “There are so many children of yours and Udu, they will come that they want to govern the state. I have come to present myself and my particulars to you and Udu people. We will all expire by the import of time but what we will leave behind is what is important to us.”
“Show me one of them that has better character than me and in sharp contrast, show me one of these people that has character more than Kenneth Gbagi, let him show you his source of income, there is none.
“The reason why I have come here is that the race for governorship 2023 has started in ernest and I make facts known to you, that among the few handfuls of persons now saying that they want to become governor, either special advisers, commissioners and taxpayers’ earners, their pedigree is they use to belong to government.
“They cannot even govern the state, 92 per cent of them have issues that are pending; they would be either picked up or they will have to pay a price.
“In this game we are going into, we must ask our best to do it because if you take one without character and with questionable credentials, you are wasting your time. We are still going to grope in the dark and God forbid that we see this Delta eight years after like this.
“I have not wronged this governor, he is a man of character and I know this governor will choose to support a man who can takeoff from where he is going to stop and better the lots of Deltans. It is the trust that I have for him that he is a man of character that has emboldened me to join this race.
“And let me make it bold to you, take it as a cheque to the bank, Okowa will handover to Urhobo man as next governor.
“If it is true as former governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and Okowa had testified that I am the biggest private industrialist in Delta state and Okowa truly wants the progress of the state; remove all these children from the street so that we do not have another #EndSars, I believe he only has one person who is not a criminal and that is myself.
“He will handover to me as governor in 2023. Sir, I will not be biased, I will do justice to every local government in Delta. I do not have anything to question me, investigate me, I come with clean hands”, Gbagi declared.
Speaking further on the giant strides of the state governor, Gbagi said: “Governor Okowa, has tarred roads across the state. If previous governors had done roads just as Okowa has done roads, then he would have nothing to do with roads, but go to industries.
“You cannot now go to industries when if you produce, you do not have roads to convey your produce. So, the man was saddened with an embarrassing road situation and a lot of problems” he said.
The largest private industrialist, who held the mammoth crowd spell bound with his speech, noted: “What I have is industry. I have industry capacity. All I know is industry.”
“Every local government area in Delta will have sufficient economic crops and resources to feed themselves. What I want to do is that local government to local government will compete to develop themselves with the massive support of government in the area of economic development ” he added.
