A deadlocked meeting of the Urhobo Progress
Union, UPU, on Sunday night has factionalized the apex Urhobo leadership organ
with each faction endorsing two different Urhobo sons as Urhobo sole candidate
for the February 28, governorship election.
The Sunday executive meeting behind closed
doors in Mosogar, Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, drifted
into conflict when dissenting members staged a walkout at the insistence by
Chief Joe Omene, UPU, President General, PG, for members to vote who becomes
Urhobo sole candidate between Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, All Progressives
Congress, APC, governorship flag bearer and Chief Great Ogboru of Labour Party,
LP.
Moments after the walk-out led by 1st Deputy
PG, Chief Tuesday Onoge, Chief Omene addressed newsmen, disclosing that the
consenting members who stayed behind had picked Chief Ogboru of LP as Urhobo
(Delta Central) sole candidate for the governorship election.
He said that their decision was supported by
president generals, youth and women leaders in Urhoboland. Responding in a
statement, yesterday, the dissenting faction declared Chief Omene removed as PG
and his second in command, Chief Onoge, appointed acting PG, accusing Omene of
insisting on his will to undermine a collective Urhobo interest.
The statement by Chief Onoge in his capacity
as acting PG and Mumakai Unagha, Assistant Publicity Secretary, read: “After
frequent visits to Aso Rock, which clearly have compromised him, Chief Omene
was now determined to make mockery of the Urhobo nation by dumping the sacred
and collective will of the people as expressed in The Uvwiamughe declaration.
“In spite of the directives by the forum of
Ivies (kings) and Urhobo clergy to the contrary, he was determined to coerce
and rush the Urhobo into a fatal decision to support the PDP/ Jonathan,
Labour/Ogboru, a ticket alien to the Uvwiamughe declaration when PDP failed to give it’s
governorship ticket to Urhobo and Labour is not a national party.”
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