Vice Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Peter Obi, and Delta State Governor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, on Saturday evening rejoiced with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, as well as his crew members, for surviving the helicopter crash, earlier in the day, at Kabba, Kogi State.

Obi, who was on campaign with the Presidential candidate, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku in Umuahi, Abia State, at the time of the crash expressed gratitude to God “for sparing the Vice President’s life as well as the lives of those in the chopper with him.”

Obi prayed to God “to continue to protect all those running around on campaign and Nigerians in general.”

He called on Nigerians to remain prayerful at all times.

Okowa in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, in Asaba, thanked God for the miraculous escape of the Vice President and all crew members, noting that God is too faithful to allow such a calamity to befall Nigerians at this critical time of our nationhood.

“I rejoice with Mr President, His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, the entire Federal Executive Council and the generality of Nigerians because, we would have been thrown into a national mourning if the devil had prevailed in his evil enterprise.

“We thank God who has been merciful unto us as a nation and it is my prayer that such calamities will never occur in our dear country again,” adding: “I also call on relevant aviation regulatory agencies to investigate the crash with a view to unraveling the remote and the immediate cause of the crash and making plans to avert occurrence.”

The Governor called on relevant stakeholders to ensure adequate maintenance and world best practices in the aviation sector to prevent deaths occasioned by such negative occurrences.

“It is also my appeal that relevant authorities must brace up to their job and ensure effective regulation in the sector. They must ensure adequate maintenance and international best practices for airplanes and helicopters conveying people of authority and those not in authority to prevent unnecessary loss of life due to avoidable mishaps,” he said