Former Governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan has said the ingenuity deployed by President Muhammadu Buhari in resolving the crisis in the Niger Delta region attracted him to the All Progressive Congress.
He said at the height of renewed threats by the Niger Delta avengers to resume hostilities, the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu took it upon themselves to personally visit the region to get firsthand account of the challenges on the ground.
Uduaghan said this on Monday, at the inauguration of the APC presidential campaign council.
He gave assurance that Delta will be delivered to the ruling party in the forthcoming general election.
He said, “We are sure of delivering the state to APC because Mr. President has done a lot for Delta state. Don’t forget that the state is like the nucleus of the crisis in Niger Delta and of course when Mr. President came in we had this Niger Delta Avengers that came up in 2016 when Mr. President came in.
“It took the ingenuity of Mr. President and the Vice President to manage that crisis, the Vice President had to come to the state, the Minister of Petroleum had to come to the state and the heart of the creeks in Niger Delta to do engagement processes.
“In fact, the Vice President went round every state in the Niger Delta, it has never been done before. For Delta in particular, he was there, he went to see traditional rulers, he went to see some of the youths, he went to see those that were involved in the crisis and that helped significantly in managing the crisis.
“Apart from that Mr. President also has done a lot in terms of infrastructure and human capital development in Delta state and across the Niger Delta. The railway to Alaja is now functional and of course, they have started carrying passengers. As at today, there is a lot of work going on at Escravos bar, that was the entry to the Delta state port that was not passable but by the time they finish with it, it will be passable”.
