APC leaders are clueless, says Delta Speaker

·    Backs Okowa for second term

·    As Sapele leaders insist on Igbuya

The Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Monday Igbuya on Thursday blamed the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the country’s woes.

He also accused the party of mismanaging the country’s economy.

“The APC has not fulfilled its promises. It has not solved the social problems, neither has it solved the economic problems. It has destroyed the economy, particularly the nation’s currency. The poor can no longer buy garri, rice and other foodstuff.  APC is making a mess of the nation’s situation” he lamented.

Igbuya who spoke in Sapele described the change agenda of the APC as a mere propaganda, the APC government as clueless and the members of the party as great liars.

He attributed the current economic situation in the country to the propounding of half-baked solutions by the current national government.

Igbuya who took time to look deeper and higher about the present day predicament said “our deliverance lies in our own hands”

The representative of Sapele State constituency urged Nigerians at home and abroad to reject the APC in 2019.

“The APC preaches the gospel of change. Who is deceiving who? As a people, we must face realities squarely and decide what we want.

Igbuya who was in oil rich Ugborhen, Okuovu, Edegbrode, Amukpe and Sapele-Okpe community for the 2016 town hall meetings urged the people to see politics beyond the spectator-spot.

He said the progress of the country can only be measured by the improvement of the quality of the citizen’s life.

“The House of Assembly will continue to promote good governance, enhance unity and expand the economic base of the state. It will continue to protect the disadvantaged group” he said.

He thanked the people for voting PDP in 2015.

“Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is doing very well. He is a listening governor. The dualization of Amukpe- Ajogodo Road is aimed at making Sapele a modern city. Governor Okowa will work on all the roads in Sapele. He will complete the Sapele market and the stadium. The PDP government will continue to empower the people of Sapele” he said..

Igbuya who endorsed Okowa for the 2019 governorship election urged the people to support the governor.

 “2019 is not far. Governor Ifeanyi Okowa will rule for eight years” he said.

Meanwhile, the leaders of Ugborhen, Elume, Amukpe, Sapele and non-natives living in Sapele have praised Igbuya for opening the political space for them to decide the social and economic direction of the constituency.

The leaders also extolled the virtues of Governor Okowa, emphasizing his visionary, exemplary and transformational leadership.

They praised Okowa for charting a new course of development for the people of the state.

Peter Asagba, Williams Ayomanor, Sunday Ikoyo, Samson Edeyan, Walter Oyo, David Urhirhi, Friday Eleko, Sam Akporie, Ukpemueyi Edata, Eyuro Agawarue, David Ikprukpru, Okokoro Friday, Isaac Ugwujor, Peter Awe, Anthony Okoro, Nasiru Abdullahi Abubakar, Ekpan Bassey, Felix Enadeghe and others praised Igbuya for rejecting politics of exclusion.

The leaders who took a cursory glance at the personalities of political actors in Delta State, described Igbuya as one of the best things to happen to Delta Central.

They applauded the speaker for showing remarkable enthusiasm for development, togetherness and unity.

They commended the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for fielding Igbuya in the 2015 House of Assembly election.

“We must however in the interest of fairness urge the PDP to field the best in 2019. That best for Sapele State Constituency is the Right Honourable Speaker” the leaders said.

‘We are grateful for the empowerment of the people by Hon Monday Igbuya, the level of development in the area and the number of people appointed into government from Sapele local government through him” they added.

Profile of Rt. Hon Monday Ovwigho Igbuya

Rt. Hon Monday Ovwigho Igbuya was born in the late fifties into the families of late Deacon Ezekiel Amereghene Igbuya of Edegbrode and Ugbimidaka in Elume District and Mrs. Emurhowho Igbuya of Amukpe and Ugborhen, both of Sapele Local Government Area.

Regarded as the best of men, Igbuya had his primary school education at Government School, Sapele, where he obtained his First School Leaving Certificate.

After this, he proceeded to Government Trade Centre, Sapele and got his City and Guilds Intermediate Certificate. Not satisfied with his foundational academic pursuit, young Igbuya studied hard and enrolled for the General Certificate of Education, Ordinary Level examination and passed. The result enabled him to gain admission into the Delta State, University, Abraka where he studied Political Science and graduated with a B. Sc. (Hons) degree.

Before delving fully into politics, Igbuya had some various working career stints. He worked at Schomont Nigeria Limited, which was part of the consortium that built the Sapele Power Station. At some point, he was a pioneer staff of Top Feeds Nigeria Limited, Sapele. He also worked with the Delta Steel Company, Ovwian Aladja, where he left without blemish to set up his own private business. Being his own boss, he now had ample time to be more involved in politics.

Predetermined for an active life in the service of the state, Hon Igbuya joined active politics in 1987 and contested for the post of a councilor in Ward 1 in the then Okpe Local Government of old Bendel State, which he won convincingly. Later, when two political parties were formed under the regime of General Ibrahim Babangida (Social Democratic Party, SDP and National Republican Convention, NRC, he pitched his tent with the SDP and rose to become the Publicity Secretary in Delta State. This was when Chief Felix Ibru was the civilian governor of the state.

In 1988 which was to signal the advent of this present uninterrupted political dispensation, Igbuya, was in the same political camp (Delta National Congress) with Chief James Ibori, who was popularly referred to as the Grand Commander. This political association later merged with a strong political group known as the G34, which later metamorphosed to become the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 1998.

Rt. Hon Igbuya wasted no time as he contested in the primaries and got the PDP ticket to run as the chairmanship candidate in the general election, which he won overwhelming. He was sworn in as the chairman of Sapele Local Government where he performed creditably, from 1999 to 2003. After his tenure and while waiting for the next election, he was appointed as Caretaker Committee Chairman of Sapele Local Government between 2003 and 2004. With his pedigree and antecedents, it was not surprising that at the next election, he was re-elected chairman of Sapele Local Government from 2004 to 2007.

Having garnered tremendous experience in local government affairs, his colleagues unequivocally endorsed him as the pioneer Delta State ALGON chairman.

In 2007, Igbuya felt it was time to move up the political ladder. He contested on the ticket of the PDP and got elected into the Delta State House of Assembly to represent Sapele State Constituency.

The speaker of words and as well as a doer of deeds, Rt. Hon Igbuya again proved his mettle in the House as he was well known for his constructive/positive input at plenary, where he sponsored so many bills aimed at alleviating the lives of the people, which were eventually passed into law.

At the Assembly, he was the pioneer Chairman, House Committee n on DESOPADEC, Member, Select Committee and Member, Committee on Sports.

At the 2011 general election, Igbuya was again voted by the electorate to represent them at the House of Assembly. As one of the very few who won a ticket back to the Delta State House of Assembly with wealth of experience, he was unanimously elected as the Majority Leader, a position with so much influence and goodwill.

The biggest accomplishment so far for Igbuya in the state legislature after he was re-elected (for a third term) to the House in 2015 was when his colleagues elected him as the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, which makes him the No 3 citizen of the state.

Renowned for his service to the people, the Right Honourable Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Chief Monday Ovwigho Igbuya is a man full of integrity.

HENRY OVIE EBIRERI

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