The battle to
pick the governorship ticket of the PDP in Delta State may have ended but the
knotty issue of who becomes the running mate on the ticket took the centre
stage for the greater part of last week as the power gladiators move from Asaba
to Abuja in search of solution.
It was as intriguing and contentious as grabbing the governorship,
given the sensitive nature of Delta where the act of balancing the ethnic
equation can be a nerve wrecking exercise/
The
leading contenders for the office presently occupied by Dr. Emmanuel Eweta
Uduaghan are Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP), a medical doctor and senator representing Delta North; Olorogun O’tega
Emehror, a banker and businessman, flying the flag of All Progressives Congress
(APC), while Chief Great Ogboru is the candidate of the Labour Party (LP).
Delta Central is presenting two candidates: Emehror and
Ogboru, to demonstrate its resolve to grab the governorship seat regardless of
the state wide demand for equity, fairness and justice, by the other ethnic
nationalities in the state.
Okowa’s dilemma
Okowa’s strength in the PDP primary election shows that he
has a State wide grassroots support. He draws strength from Isoko leaders
namely: Hon. Ross Uredi, Chief Emmanuel Ogidi and Chief Mallam Obi. The same is
the case in Delta Central with the likes of Chief Monday Igbuya, Chief Ighoyota
Amori, Prof Sam Oyovbaire, a former Minster of Information; Mrs Evelyn Oboro;
Miss Erhiatake Ibori; Chief Olori Magege, among others who allegedly
disregarded the directives of UPU to vote for Olorogun Davide Edevbie as the preferred
candidate of the UPU.
Balance of power
Delta South, comprising of the Ijaw, the Isoko and the
Itsekiri, holds the balance of power in the unfolding democratic reality in
Delta. The zone is taking over from Delta North in this respect, since the latter
has its son as one of the contestants, That task of find a favourable hunting
ground for votes is as crucial as ever. Consequently the interest of every
segment of the state is important.
Many watchers of the Okowa emergence as the PDP candidate
believe that Delta South should produce the deputy governor in acknowledgement
of the role delegates from the area played at the December 8, 2014, but, more
importantly, to cement the political relationship that is needed in the general
elections.
In this case, the battle is between the Ijaw and the Isoko.
The Ijaw are claiming that they were more forth coming in their support for
Okowa’s candidacy and would want to be rewarded with the office of the deputy
governor. On the other hand, the Isoko are arguing that the the Ijaw will be
violating the spirit of equity driving the Okowa campaign if the two elective
positions in the zone are taken up by the Ijaw alone.
Chief Gab Awodeha said: “Giving the deputy governor position
and the Senate seat to the Ijaw does not support the case for equity and
fairness because the Isoko are the largest single ethnic nationality in Delta
South and they were equally strong advocates of the Delta North governorship
bid”.
Since Chief James Manager has already taken the ticket to
return to the Senate for a record fourth term, the Isoko believed that they are
the most qualified to hold the office of deputy governor. Their case was
championed by the Isoko Development Union under the leadership of General Paul
Omu whose wife, Stella, left the Senate in 2003 for Chief Manager.
Omu issued a statement on Thursday where the IDU said “the
Isoko have not been fairly treated in the distribution of political offices in
Delta.”
The retired general stated that the Isoko were demanding for
the office of the deputy governor.
Isoko South seems to have become a fertile hunting ground
for the APC. Okowa must win handsomely in Delta South to stand any chance of
the gang up by some people in the zone opposed to power shift to Delta North.
There is also a persuasive argument from Delta Central that
they deserve a handsome reward in the distribution of positions in the PDP on
the basis of equity and fairness.
The zone produced Prof Amos Utuama as deputy to Uduaghan.
Delta Central is not interested in another four years in the same office.
Watchers of the unfolding horse trading going on in Asaba
and Abuja believe that Okowa’s choice of his deputy will set the tone and
character of his campaign as he needs the full support of Delta South and push
to make substantial gains in Delta Central.
A crack in his support base in Delta South will provide the
APC the opportunity to consolidate its penetration in Isoko land while the
Labour Party takes its battle to Ndokwa land where Ogboru is expected to
exploit the gains he made in 2011, by picking his own running mate from Ndokwa
land. This development will open up three horse race in the state.
Dramatic events
Sunday Vanguard learnt that the idea of Okowa picking an
Ijaw man as his running mate came before the dramatic events that led to the
unceremonious exit of Uduaghan from the senatorial contest and subsequent
withdrawal of his support for Sir Tony Obuh.
While the game lasted, the Uduaghan political strategists
had equally pencilled down an Ijaw person to be Obuh’s deputy. But the Uduaghan
game plan was said to have been frustrated by forces linked to a former
governor whose idea was that Okowa should succeed Uduaghan in keeping with an
alleged gentleman’s agreement of 2007.
Okowa who benefited from the drama in the Uduaghan camp had
equally set his eyes on picking an Ijaw man as his running mate when picking
the PDP ticket became a battle to save his political career. For some
inexplicable reasons, Delta South has become the bride of the 2015 contest.
The exit of Uduaghan from the Senate race gave Manager the
opportunity to return to the Senate. Now the Ijaw want to hold on to the Senate
seat and the office of the deputy governor at the expense of the Isoko. Even at
that, there is a fierce battle between Tompolo’s and Edwin Clark’s camps on who
should produce the running mate to Okowa.
Betrayal
The Chairman of Anioma Agenda, Alex Onwuadiamu, said “the
challenge facing Okowa now is how to build a pan-Deltan agenda which will require
sacrifices from all the stakeholders in the Okowa project.” According to
Onwuadiamu, “this is not going to be an easy task because every section of the
state wants to be represented and to be relevant in the new political
dispensation.”
The concerns of the Isoko are as important as those of the
Delta Central, the Ndokwa and Oshimili/ Aniocha areas. But Delta Central may
settle for the office of the Speaker since the outgoing deputy governor came
from that zone. The Office of Secretary to State Government is open to either
Ndokwa or Isoko, depending on the strength of their bargaining.
For the Oshimili and Aniocha, their primary concern now is
to realise the goal of an Anioma son in power. But this disposition will cost
them the office of the Speaker. Ogbueshi Philip Ibonye said” the first thing is
to appreciate the contributions of all the ethnic nationalities that delivered
the ticket and the thank them.”
“The next level is to look at the sacrifices every group
will make in actualising the dream of pushing back the born to rule ideology of
Delta Central, before bickering on the distribution of offices,” he added. He
stated that the Ijaw should recognise that every segment of the state should be
carried along to avoid creating ill feelings for the Okowa which has a stiff
battle ahead.
The Okowa campaign team has been working together with all
the former aspirants to boost the chance of winning the February 21, 2014
governorship election.
The Secretary General of Anioma Congress, Sir Dan Okenyi,
said: “The composition of the campaign with all the former aspirants being
brought on board is a good thing.
“This will give Dr. Okowa the opportunity to tap into the
wisdom and vision of the aspirants who were equally capable in their own right.
“It is through this that he can he can integrate some of their ideas to build a
better Delta State.”
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