Tension in Delta as Keyamo declares governorship ambition

Human rights activist, Mr. Festus Keyamo, has indicated his interest to vie for the governorship of Delta State with a promise to take Deltans out of what he called the present state of underdevelopment. Speaking at his country home in Effurun-Warri, during the maiden meeting of Delta Forces United (a platform he is using to mobilise all progressive Deltans), Keyamo declared that time had come for the citizens to be liberated from the dynasty of thieves that has been created over the years in the state.
The fiery lawyer who did not mince words in condemning what he regarded as politics of cronyism, ethnicity, prebendalism and underdevelopment in the state, pointed out that there had not been much to show for the 14 years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. He explained that what the state had been saddled with was a legacy of primitive accumulation and godfatherism, while the masses continue to live in abject poverty with little infrastructural development of the state. Keyamo wondered why a few who have continued to marginalise majority of Deltans would arrogate the power and right to decide who succeeds them instead of allowing the people’s will to prevail. Revealing his vision to over 200 members of the Delta Forces United, who attended the meeting from the various local government areas of the state, the activist who has vowed to live the rest of his life for the betterment of the state, noted that Deltans over time have been held hostage by members of a cabal, who would not see any other candidate as having the right qualities to govern. According to him, the cabal has done much to promote mediocrity by not allowing internal democracy to reign. Priority in his vision (among other things) he said would therefore be the enthronement of democratic governance and provision of employment for the jobless Deltans even as he promised to take agriculture to a level where it can generate revenue like oil. Though Keyamo has not yet decided on which political party platform he would run for the election, yet he has ruled out the possibility of joining the PDP as he did not see anything good in the party particularly in the state. From the expression of participants at the meeting, it was quite evident that many Deltans were already tired of the present state of affairs in the State and would be ready for a positive change being promised by Keyamo. Each of the speakers, a good number of who travelled from Lagos, Asaba, Ughelli, the creeks of Delta State and other places to attend the meeting expressed high degree of optimism and confidence in the ability of Keyamo to lead the struggle against politics of despoliation, greed, intimidation, corruption and under-development in the state. With Keyamo’s vow to pursue the philosophy of returning power to the people (by allowing the masses to choose who would govern the state) like the case of Edo State, every participant agreed to take the message back to the grassroots with a view to erecting a structure that would facilitate the actualisation of his ambition come 2015. This, many participants said, dated back to 1999, when Chief James Ibori, emerged as governor and after eight years, handed over to his cousin; Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, who continued in the same tradition which had favoured only a few in their clique.