Success Nwanedo
The governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Rivers State, Tonte Ibraye has revealed why he selected Nollywood Actress, Tonto Dikeh as his running mate.
Ibraye, who spoke during a press conference on Sunday, said Dikeh was not mistakenly chosen but was picked because she is an advocate of transparency.
He noted that he has worked closely with his running mate and has seen her commitment to bringing diverse opportunities to youths.
According to him, “I have worked closely with Tonto Dikeh for more than a year now and she has been part of the party for a very long time. She has been following up with the primary process, she’s an advocate of transparency and I believe I did not make any mistake in choosing her as my running mate.
“She has so many things in her, such as creating employment opportunities. She has a farm here in Abuja and Rivers State, not just that she has supported a lot of young people in growing businesses.
“Yearly, she sends about 3,500 young people back to school. When it comes to choosing a running mate, many people look at a lot of indicators, but for me there are certain indicators I look at, are you able to employ young people and create employment for the people of Rivers and Nigerians, what is your disposition towards women and youth inclusion, believe me, Tonto Dikeh has all of that qualification. Any day, any time, I am more than proud to work with her as my running mate.
“I and Tonto are coming on a rescue mission, we want to rescue the people of Rivers State. We would work with data, we would invest massively in social protection, we are going to ensure that we strengthen our traditional institutions to be part of the governance system to ensure democracy is practised the right way.”
Meanwhile, the controversial actress has said that she has never failed in any leadership role.
Speaking as a guest on Channels Television Politics Today on Sunday, Miss Dikeh said she has been at the forefront of social working with youths.
According to her, “the time is now for the youths to take over leadership.”
Asked if she sees any chance for the ADC in Rivers State, she said “there’s always a chance for everything.”
“Rivers is not a PDP state. The state is not run by the PDP but by the citizens. We need to send the right message to the people of Rivers State,” she added.
