A leader of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, in Ukwuani local government area of Delta state, Chief Dele Omenogor, has thrown more light on his resignation as a member of the PDP.
He had, last Wednesday March 8, resigned his membership of the PDP in a letter he personally submitted to the party’s chairman of Ward 6 Amai which shocked the cream of politicians across the state and his numerous admirers in the area.
Speaking with a select group of journalists the next day in Benin City, Omenogor gave instances of the abysmal neglect of Amai kingdom as well as the entire Ukwuani nation by the Okowa administration since it came to power nearly eight years ago.
Omenogor, an engineer and businessman, said it was bereft of equity and fairness for Governor Okowa to have abandoned Amai while he executed infrastructural projects in other communities in Ukwuani local government area.
He stated inter-alia :”As a leader, I have worked for the party to the best of my ability. I have used both human and financial resources to advance the cause of my party in Amai and Ukwuani local government area as a whole, yet the dividends of democracy have continued to elude us.
“I joined PDP in 2001 because I wanted to use the platform to attract dividends of democracy to my people, but it’s unfortunate that 22 years after, there is little or nothing to show for it.
“I personally embraced the responsibility as the leader of ward 6, Amai, because I am passionate about the development of my community and its people. However, the only thing that I asked from the governor is the construction of Amai/Aragba road, and till date the governor has ignored my request, despite my unwavering support for the party”, he stated.
Omenogor added :”On June 21, 2021, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa invited me to his office for a meeting. And I explained to the governor in details the problems of my people. At a point, I was almost in tears and he saw it clearly in my eyes. I told him how I agreed to be leader of my people because I knew I could attract something through him (Governor) to my people and community.
“As we speak, there are no roads, no market until recently when Ukwuani local government decided to renovate it after much pressure; no hospital befitting our status as a large kingdom, our water scheme had been left unattended to, and our schools are in shambolic state without teachers. It is as though we had been cut off from the state!
“But Ezhionum, a small neighbouring community has nine internal roads built by Governor Okowa. In Obiaruku, they have a considerable number of roads and ongoing road projects. Yet, the one road we have been begging Governor Okowa to construct for many years, that is Amai/Aragba Road, is just 7.5km and nothing has been done till date. What have Amai people done to Governor Okowa to deserve such neglect and rejection?”, the former PDP leader queried.
According to him, “it has degenerated into mockery as my people now laugh at me because of my inability to attract any project to our community. The youths and middle-aged indigenes have rightly questioned what I’m doing in PDP despite the government’s gross neglect of our community”.
Asked about his plans for the future, Omenogor said he will sit back and think, consult quickly and take the necessary step to reposition Amai so that the plights of his community and its people would be addressed in the post May 29, 2023 governance of Delta state.
