However, the Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) in Delta State has described the purported anointing of Tony Obuh by Chief Ibori and Governor Uduaghan as untrue, even as Governor Uduaghan warned aspirants not to use his name to campaign.
Ayiri , while speaking at the group mobilization meetings held at Ekpan and Asaba recently, assured the members of the group that what they are doing has the blessing of Chief Ibori and Governor Uduaghan, noting that those who knew how the incumbent governor emerged will know that the signal has come.
Chief Ayiri, while addressing members of group, at the residence of Hon. Baro, stated that, he would not have come out without clearance from Ibori and Uduaghan, stressing that Chief Ibori and Dr. Uduaghan are unanimous on Tony Obuh’s governorship quest.
According to him: “We want the people of Delta state and Asaba to know that the signal has come and the message is very clear, Mr. Tony Obuh for governor come 2015; Uduaghan is out with his candidate.
“I want you to quote me anywhere, it is Ibori and Uduaghan that sent me, ‘Na James send me’, and when I got the signal from my ‘Ogas’ that it is Tony Obuh that is the anointed one, I called Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, who I was working for before now and I told him that I have been directed by Uduaghan to deliver Obuh.
“So, those who are still waiting for the Governor’s body language should wait no more, the time for body language is over, it is time for action.” He added.
At the group meeting at Hon. Daniel Mayuku’s place at Asaba, Chief Ayiri also assured the group that they would not do anything contrary to the thinking of Chief Ibori and Dr. Uduaghan, noting that he is just the messenger and not the author of the message.
“We will not do anything contrary to Ibori and Uduaghan’s directives. We are just the messengers to Ibori and Uduaghan and you can not kill the messenger because of the message given to him,” he said.
Collaborating Ayiri’s submission, the Majority leader of the Delta State House of Assembly, Chief Monday Igbuya, stated that many governorship aspirants have emerged on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, but have not openly supported any of them, because the signal has not come, adding that, now the signal has come and is very clear.
According to Chief Igbuya who is also the vice chairman of the Urhobo Political Forum, UPF, who had earlier said that come 2015, governorship election, UPF will follow Uduaghan’s agenda, added that; “it was a directive from Mecca that we should work for Mr. Tony Obuh and deliver him, come 2015 election.
Those who know me know that I don’t move anyhow, am a very careful politician and if our leader has not directed I would not have come out to support this project, but the signal was very clear.”
Igbuya who was quoted in the media to have, “described himself as one of Uduaghan’s political disciples, has pledged to use his contact to mobilise members of the House of Assembly to urge the Governor to support Obuh.”
He also said that his lobby for Obuh would not be limited to the House of Assembly, but promised to take the Obuh message to the executive and notably, the Governor.
However, in what appears to be a knock for the Tony Obuh’s governorship quest, the state Chairman of the ruling, PDP, Chief Peter Nwaoboshi, was quoted in the media to have said that the purported anointing of Tony Obuh for governor by the Governor and Ibori is not true.
According to Nwaoboshi who spoke in Asaba to newsmen, debunked the rumoured adoption of Obuh; saying that, “it is quite unfortunate that the rumour is moving like wild fire. But let me tell you, people should stop using the Governor’s name. It is untrue that the Governor has adopted anyone.”
“I speak to you authoritatively as the Chairman of this party that the Governor has not adopted anybody. Let nobody be deceived. I have been receiving calls from people since the rumour started, seeking to know whether it was true or not; I speak with the Governor regularly, and he had not told me he has endorsed anybody for the governorship. He insisted he has not adopted anyone. He gave me that assurance.”
Reacting to this development which is threatening to tear PDP apart ahead of the 2015 governorship election in Delta State, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has cautioned governorship aspirants in the platform of the PDP, not to campaign with his name, but rather, should tell Deltans what they can do if elected.
Dr. Uduaghan during an Inter-denominational Thanksgiving Service held at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter’s (Anglican Communion), Asaba to mark the 23rd anniversary of the creation of Delta State, broke his silence on his successor with a charge on all aspirants for the gubernatorial election in the state to sell their programmes and policies to the people, rather than scheming on how to disqualify fellow aspirants.
Governor Uduaghan, who has been evasive on his likely successor, noted that neither he nor any level of scheming could determine the candidate that would take over from him in 2015, but that the final choice rested in the hands of God.
He cautioned aspirants to “stop running around trying to disqualify anybody because who God wants to give power, that He will give, whether you disqualify somebody at the screening stage and God wants that person, the person will succeed.”
The Governor recalled that in the build up to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primaries in 2006, he was disqualified by a screening committee in Port Harcourt, before an appeal panel cleared him to contest the polls.
“As an aspirant who wants to take over from me, tell the people what you want to do, let us have a clean electioneering campaign; who God wants, He will put in office,” Dr Uduaghan said, stressing, “let the campaign not be about me, about whom I am supporting or who I am not supporting, let the campaign be about what you can do for the people.”
He added, “I want to thank everybody that have indicated interest to take over from me in 2015, it is not easy to make up one’s mind to contest but, know that there is only a space for one person at a time for four years.”
In what however appears as a dramatic turn, Chief Ayiri while reacting to the media publication of the state PDP chairman, said that he never said that Uduaghan anointed Tony Obuh, but rather it is God that has anointed Obuh as governor of Delta State, come 2015.
He also noted that they have used the three Warri local governments in the past to deliver the governor and that come 2015, the three Warri local governments will ensure that Tony Obuh emerges as the governor of Delta state.
Comments
Post a Comment