Leroy Edozien: President Tinubu Should Acknowledge A Mistake Has Been Made With Delta Ministerial Nominees

APC chieftain from Delta state, Leroy Edozien has emphasised his displeasure that the two nominees, incoming governor, and party chairman are from the same senatorial district, and said the president should remedy the situation. 

In an interview with ARISE NEWS on Tuesday, Edozien has stated that the president should demonstrate his renewed hope agenda by “removing any iota of marginalisation” from Delta north.

He said, “This is just not about ministerial appointments. It’s the wider issue of marginalisation, so going forward, number one, I would like Mr president to acknowledge to the people of Delta north and Delta south senatorial districts that a mistake has been made.

“You say to your constituents, to your party leaders and faithful, ‘Oh I’m so sorry, this did not come to my attention. Now that it has come to my attention, please may I ask you to please bear with us, and we’ll see what we can do.’

“There are major appointments that will be made by the government, again, there are these ways of compensating the people. If people feel like they’re marginalised, it’s not about who you appoint to positions only. That is one factor. How about the projects you take to them? How about infrastructural developments? How about employment for the people? How about empowerment for the youth and the women? So, there are other ways to say we recognize your pain; this is how we intend to compensate you.

“I don’t want to preempt Mr. President. I’ll leave it to him, as a sagacious leader. He knows the right thing to do. Let’s leave it to him to make that decision.”

Edozien also noted that he has nothing against the character of the nominees, but only wishes for equity and “removing any iota of marginalisation.”

He said, “It’s important for us to have that sense of belonging. The south has spoken out. We in the north want to speak out as well to say ‘no, this is not fair’.

“The president’s inaugural speech generated a lot of favour. People began to buy into the renewed hope agenda, even people who had doubts before began to come on board. We need to keep that alive.”

He also said that “It’s not just about who gets appointed as a minister. It’s about how the party is perceived in this senatorial district.

“If Delta did not deliver for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the last election, I am sure the president will want this senatorial district to be delivered for him in 2027, and that generally starts now to remove any perceptions of marginalisation in Delta north.

“Ministerial appointments and governance generally is not about rewarding people for performance and non-performance in elections. It’s a factor that comes in, but that’s not everything. We have the federal character enshrined in our constitution. We have principles of equity that cut across the board at all times, and that’s what good governance is all about.”

In the same interview, Secretary of Itsekiri Leaders of Thought, Amorighoye Sunny Mene has also stated that the president should have a special interest in Delta saying that, “We know that Asiwaju has a link with Delta state, by virtue of his wife who is our daughter.

“We have the opinion that he should not treat Delta state just like that. He should have special interest in Delta state.”

Frances Ibiefo

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