By Grâçia Obi
The Delta State House of Assembly on Wednesday held its valedictory session to end the 7th Assembly with the Speaker and Governor-Elect of the State, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori pleading for forgiveness, noting that nobody was good enough to be his enemy.
Oborevwori, who spoke in his valedictory speech, expressed gratitude to members of the House for finding him worthy as Speaker.
The Speaker, who would on Monday May 29 be sworn into office as Governor of Delta State, said: “I am deeply touched by the heartwarming speeches of Honourable Members. However, everything that has a beginning, has an ending.
“Today, together we are berthing a Legislative journey we started on the 10th of June, 2019. Though, the sail was not free from occasional challenges, overall, it is a successful tenure. With a heart of thanksgiving to God Almighty, I congratulate all of us for making it to the end of the tenure.
“Unfortunately, some Colleagues we started the 7th Assembly with are no more with us today. We lost Hon. Tim Kome Owhefere and Hon. Kenneth Edafe Ogba to the cold hands of death. May the souls of Hon. Tim Kome Owhefere and Hon. Kenneth Edafe Ogba continue to rest in the bosom of the Lord, Amen.
“I owe all of you a debt of gratitude for finding me worthy and electing me as Speaker of the 7th Assembly. It was a tough decision for you, especially, as my tenure as Speaker of the 6th Assembly just ended. In unison, you voted for me overwhelmingly and stood by me throughout the tenure. Your commitments, cooperation and dedication to Legislative duties ensured we succeeded together.
“The 7th Assembly was anchored on building a strong representative institution that collaborated with other arms of government in delivering good governance to Deltans. To achieve this goal, we opted to build capacity of Members and Staff, and provided aconducive work environment.
“I would like to thank our Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, who has provided enviable leadership in the State. I thank him most especially for his respect for the rule of law and for appreciating that to operate a functional democracy, the legislature needed to enjoy independence.
“May I also place on record my heartfelt gratitude to my constituents (Okpe State Constituency) who gave me the mandate to represent them in this House. Without your mandate, all my achievements in the House would not have been possible.
“In the same vein, I thank all Deltans and residents for giving us the opportunity to serve them and also for their true love for me to serve them in a higher capacity.
“I wish to say that as humans, we are not perfect beings. So if in the course of my duty as a presiding officer in the last six years I have wronged any of us, please find a place in your heart to forgive.
“On my part, I have also forgiven anyone that has wronged me. Nobody is good enough to be my enemy, neither do I have the ability to hate anyone. To err is human and to forgive is divine. In all, as a leader, I have learnt to listen more, and I pledge to do MORE for Deltans as Governor.”
The legislators, who were obviously in high spirits, took turns to praise the incoming Governor for his purposeful leadership, describing him as a listening leader adorned with the heart of gold.