A group of discontented civil servants in Delta State, calling themselves “Concerned Progressive Workers for Good Governance,” took a drastic step on Wednesday by severing ties with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its vice-presidential nominee, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
In his stead, the civil servants threw their support behind the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate and deputy senate president, Ovie Omo-Agege, for the upcoming 2023 election.
The civil servants, who had convened at Nnebisi Hall in Grand Hotel, Asaba for a town hall meeting with Omo-Agege, expressed their discontent with Okowa in no uncertain terms. They described him as a “callous and unfeeling” individual who has shown little regard for their welfare during his tenure as governor.
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The civil servants leveled accusations of Okowa’s refusal to pay them promotion arrears and other benefits that they have been entitled to for the past 7 and a half years. They announced their unanimous endorsement of Omo-Agege’s candidacy and declared that civil servants in the state will cast “protest votes” in the March 11 governorship election as a result of the mistreatment they have faced under the PDP-led state government.
Reading out the resolutions of the group, the leader Festus Doghene stated that “Elections are won by marketing choice candidacy to the people. On behalf of the entire civil servants, public servants, and private workers in Delta State, we want to assure you of our massive votes in the March 11 governorship election in the state.”
An official of the group, Ochei Chike, added that the “Governor Ifeanyi Okowa-led government is at war with civil servants in the state and as a result has decided to punish workers with hardships.” He went on to say that despite intimidation and warnings from Okowa and his associates, civil servants in the state had attended the town hall meeting in large numbers to interact with Omo-Agege and his entourage.
