The aspiration of the prominent gubernatorial candidate under the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Delta State, Olorogun Barr. Kenneth Gbagi, received a major boost as six Bishops and over 80 clergymen of the African Church have endorsed him for the governorship race.
The Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (CPFN)/the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Christian Council of Nigeria (CCN), Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN), (TEKAN) and ECWA Fellowship) have all adopted him as the sole governorship candidate in the 2023 election.
The cleric which include six Bishops of the African Church, said they queue behind Gbagi for the 2023 governorship race to liberate the State from impoverishment.
The endorsement was done by the Church at a meeting held on Tuesday September 20, 2022, at The African Church Messiah Cathedral, Warri.
The Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Rt. Rev. John Okorotete, said the purpose of the meeting was for Gbagi, a former minister of State for education, to interface with the ministers as the choice for Delta State governor in 2023.
“The African Church is solidly with Gbagi, the first candidate who said he wants to see the growth of African Church.
“If God is for you, no one can stand against you. Delta shall be bigger because, God does not disappoint his people.”
Also speaking, Archbishop Obie Isaac of Warri Province, said: “Each person here is having a congregation. This cathedral alone is more than 700 members, I have 80 ministers with me.
“By implication, we will speak within ourselves and they will speak in turn to their members. We will go home and talk to the people so that the message can go down to the people.
“You will come the second time, on that day the 80 ministers will be here. We are not politicians but everybody is a political animal. So that when the campaign is on, we can be able to market you, as a good product.
“We are impressed with what you have given to us, you have been able to clear the issues around you.
“Sir, we will try our best, God delivers. We will talk to our people and if all the candidates of SDP is okay with us, we will support them”.
Similarly, Rt. Rev. O. Dabibi JP, Bishop of Agbarho Diocese, noted, “We don’t believe that this is a majority candidate before you can win election, we believe in a sellable candidate.
“Don’t disappoint the church. We are convinced that there will be something good.
“You have started well. For you to come to the house of God to talk to the ministers, we are going to work with you.
They described the former Chairman of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, in 2023 elections, as the man who has the knowledge, character, passion, drive and integrity to lift Delta from the present decadence.
Fielding questions from the ministers during an interactive session, Gbagi, assured them that his administration would synergize with the Church.
He said he would ensure that companies that have left the state particularly, the Urhobo nation, returns to their host communities.
“Before, Urhobo was highly placed but today, we have come below and we are going down every second into destruction
“Before 1999, we have 47 Limited Lability companies that are doing very well in Delta Central. Oghara has 5 of such Companies. There was a boom, Urhobos were the greatest people that have lived.
“It is for all these reasons that I cheated out that I want to be a governor.
“I have come to present myself to you, we are the most gifted state in Africa.
He said under his watch as governor, insecurity would be a thing of the past as he would return power to traditional rulers and the Church.
“I am going to move government to traditional rulers and the Church. Unless you produce a governor who is transparent, nobody will invest in the state.
“We are going to return power to you people. I will work in synergy with you. It is easier to work with the traditional rulers, the church and the police to get security in the land.
“The church will be part of my government. The church is an integral part of government”.
“I will work with them in synergy with the police to provide an enduring security system across the state.
On how he would put the state on the right path of economic boost over money claimed to be borrowed by the present administration, the security expert said: “The money that is said to be borrowed, is it true? And if it is true, you borrow money for a particular project. Delta state will pay all the money borrowed genuinely.
According to him, “relying on this monthly allocation, is not going to be our way of life. You must have an entrepreneurial mind to be able to turn things around”.
He said he would not fly using airports in other states but he would bring the Warri and Asaba airports to standard.
“I will within a 100 days fly from Delta to Europe. I will make N1 billion at least every month from the Asaba and Osubi airports.
“I will make myself available to the weak. Corruption is not only in politics, it is in the church, when you have a criminal as governor, corruption is inevitable.
The renowned Criminologist, said he knows what to do to revamp the ailing economy of the state just as he vowed to bring back industries and businesses that have left the state.
He reiterated the plans by his government to roll out free education for all Deltans, “I will start my free education to all our children in school, with that I would have set the ball rolling because a state without proper education, is the party for distortion”.
“Give me 30 days after my swearing in, all these unemployed youths in the state, I will remove them from unemployment and give them purposeful engagement and the state is rich enough to engage these our youths.
“From the day I become governor, I will compute their names and pay them till I engage them in farming, schooling and artisans”.
“I will come back with the team of my professionals not illiterates to change the situation around, our hospitals and schools will change. SDP is the solution” he declared.
“We will do a critical needs assessment, I will come up with a 25 years rolling plans that nobody can change. We will give our people employment, when you have peace and security, that investors would come to your State.
“And once security is there, people will want to invest in the state. That is the key element and trust me, I am going to head the security team in the State for the period I am going to be governor and once I am able to do it continuously for eight years, life and property will be secured”.
