… Dismisses Fear of Protest Vote against PDP
By Godwin Chukwumaechi, Port Harcourt
A member of the House of Representatives and governorship aspirant in Rivers State, Hon. Doctor Farah Dagogo, has announced plans for a 10 million-man march in parts of Niger Delta in solidarity with the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate, Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa.
He said the march is to demonstrate the unflinching support of the Niger Delta people for the candidates ahead the 2023 presidential election, particularly in Rivers State, noting that such support will be demonstrated in the coming days.
He dismissed fears of a protest vote from the region against the party as a result of its presidential primaries, adding that panic over such a possibility was far-fetched as the Niger Delta has been a traditional stronghold of the PDP from 1999 till date and will remain so in 2023.
The federal lawmaker said a 10 million-man march for Atiku and Okowa is already at advanced stage and will be held in the coming days across the Niger Delta states to further galvanise the people and “prove to naysayers that the region is for PDP.”
Speaking through a statement by his special assistant, Media and Publicity, Ibrahim Lawal, Dagogo said the people of the Niger Delta remember and hold the PDP in awe as the only party that ensured the region produced a president of the country in Goodluck Jonathan.
“Let no one be deceived, conducting elections in Nigeria has metamorphosed, the voting power is with the people. No one can order anyone around on whom to vote or not, no matter how highly placed, because the people are the deciders with their PVCs and votes.
“PDP has been true and fair to our people. It was by the means of this party that we clinched the President seat in this country through our son, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, among several other benefits.
“We are at an advanced stage in plans for a ten million-man march for Atiku and Okowa across the states of the Niger Delta, particularly Rivers State. We have spoken with the people, those that will vote, the real voters with PVCs not political sycophants, and we have been able to galvanise a lot of them. In the coming days we will take over the streets of the Niger Delta states and publicly demonstrate that support. That will also prove to the naysayers that the region is for PDP.
“Atiku will win and it is in the interest of those who do not want to be left behind to board or be cast in the dustbin of political history,” he added.