By Godwin-Maria Utuedoye,
Delta state Commissioner for Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu has said the Social Democratic Party, SDP governorship candidate for Delta State in the 2023 general election, Chief Kenneth Gbagi is seeking the position of governor to revive his dying businesses.
Aniagwu who addressed journalists Friday, at the Ministry of Information conference hall, Asaba, also accused Gbagi of dishing out series of lies to the general public, especially Deltans.
He pointed that it was necessary to call the press conference to clarify the alleged lies being spoken by Gbagi in order to stop him from deceiving Deltans.
He said, “Gbagi has continued to dish out lies upon lies. You know that he contested on the platform of the PDP and because of his very unpopular stand he could not secure up to two votes in the primary of that election, and what he did, because he still wants his name to appear on the ballot, was to go into a party that is not known in Delta.
“Perhaps they could have some members in other parts, maybe in South West, but in Delta, there is none. Just because he wants to be called a governorship candidate, he decided to run into a party that did not have an office in Delta. I don’t know if they have a chairman.
“Instead of him to proceed to reel out the things he intends to do, he is busy misinforming Nigerians.
He claims the administration has not been able to execute any project. He claims that he is going to bring a whole lot of industries, and all of you know that the hotel he owns, Signature Suit, the one at Effurun junction, has been overtaken by weeds. If he was to be a correct entrepreneur, that hotel would have been a great business for him and employer of labour, but if you go there, apart from liking roofs, it’s already overtaken by rodents.
“If a man cannot even run his personal business and he is saying that he wants to come and industrialize a state, what does that tells you? Maybe he needs the money that belongs to Deltans to revive his personal business that he ran aground. And so we needed to make this clarification so that he does not deceive anybody, but am happy that Deltans will really know him, that he does not have the capacity to do that.
You recalled what he did to some of his staff, the inhuman treatment, that he kept saying it is a lie, when it was very well established that he does not have a record of treating people fairly.
“I also recalled in time past when he made comments that were at best not expected of a man of his status. He also lied yesterday by saying that he established nine universities.
I wonder whether he was the president. Goodluck Jonathan’s administration established universities, I wonder why a minister of state would be claiming and informing Nigerians that he was the one who established those universities. He did not even know when to match the break when he went on that journey of lies.
“If he was too popular, how come younger boys defeated him in the primaries of the PDP. I know he will claim he did not participate but all of you know that his name was in the ballot in the day of that election. A day before that time, he knows quite well that he doesn’t have any followership here in Delta, I’m very convinced that even in his ward, he could not win election. How do I know that? His candidate for the House of Assembly could not win even in his own ward.
“That is somebody he is promoting to become House of Assembly member, another person defeated him. And so somebody who cannot win his ward wants to contest an election in 270 wards, do you need a suit sayer to tell you that he is not going to make any progress in that election. And rather than telling Deltans what he thinks he can do, because, of course, he knows that they know he can’t do anything, he is very busy telling all sorts of lies.
“He lied that he has a shop that is accommodating 6000 persons. Where is that shop. Is it the small complex that he has under power line which is even an illegal structure in the first place? And he is saying he has 6000 shops. Maybe he is building some castle in the air, maybe in the moon, is possible he establish some there and we are not aware. If it is here in Delta, you do know that he does have that kind of business.
“And he is not capable of running a capable business. For example is the signature that he ran aground. So we will urge him to come and learn how to govern before he even proceed that he wants to contest because Deltans already know him. Let him act his age, because he is above 60 years. One would expect that he should be telling the truth rather than dishing out lies.
“We also wants to use this medium to address certain issues. We believe that the PDP winning machine in the state is not weakened and we have what it takes to speak to Nigerian and win their support by off course showcasing the many laudable achievements of the Okowa’s administration which are very visible. So on account of that, the candidate of the PDP and all the candidate of the 25 local government areas, be they those seeking to come to the House of Assembly or those who wants to move to the National Assembly or even the governorship candidate, we are convinced that the PDP is going to reenact what they have done in the last 23 years in the state and we are going to show that Delta State is PDP and PDP is Delta State.
So for Gbagi who has gone to an unknown party in Delta, he should be rest assured that he can tell that to those who don’t know him. He didn’t even look for a party that is known, he just decided to run into one party. I know he is a smart man, he won’t spend his money own for any campaign, because he knows that he only just want to waste INEC ballot paper, he knows will not score up to 20 votes in the entire Delta. I’m very convinced that some of his children will not vote for him.
“Much as he has the democratic right to appear in media house and television, he should say things that will looks like truth. So when else he wants to appear on television he should first of all advise himself.”