By Cletus Opukeme, Warri
The Delta fresh Vsion ( DFV) ,an NGO has said that Delta state since 1999 till date, there was never a power shift agreement of producing governor from senatorial districts in the state. That the Delta central senatorial district has been featuring aspirants in both party primaries and general elections.
The National Coordinator Delta Fresh Vision (DFV) Mr. Fred Akpewe and its Publicity Secretary Mr. Maxwell Utoh disclosed on Sunday in a press statement said, ”Following the heated argument over power shift and believe that this is time to set records straight. In 2015, it was simplistic just to assume that it was the turn of the Delta North to produce the Governor.
”The forces that rose against the Delta North bid for the plum job of Governor assumed a spiritual dimension of principalities and powers. The Urhobos vehemently opposed it as it became the prime message in the famous “Uvwiamuge declaration” which ascribed to the Urhobos, the divine right to rule in perpetuity.
”The then Governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, goaded on by extraneous forces abandoned his pet Tony Obuh project and heavily supported the UPU backed David Edevbie in a bid to upstage Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, who was regarded by Uduaghan as not only his Political rival but also his mortal Political enemy. The Delta North Traditional Rulers led by HRM Professor Chike Edozien, the Asagba of Asaba, not taking power shift for granted, mounted a very sophisticated barricade against any opposition to the Delta North quest.
”The Delta North Royal fathers established a screening committee for all Delta North Governorship aspirants and at the end arrived at Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa as the most favoured aspirant to take the Delta State Political mantle. The Okowa mystique began to unfold as the man with a very gentle, almost harmless mien began to demolish all obstacles on his path to Osadebay house.DELTA FRESH VISION recalls that Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa was to kick-start one of the most sophisticated Governorship campaigns ever to be recorded in the history of Delta State. His only constraint was finance and Dr. Uduaghan was ready to starve him of it. In the twilight of the Delta North Governorship primaries of 8th December, 2014, the Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa campaign organisation ran broke and threatened by the heavily funded campaign mounted by the David Edevbie group. Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa reportedly found succour with Mr. Government Ekpemukpolo (aka, Tompolo), who provided the needed funds for the Governorship primaries” The statement revealed.
”Urhobo Politics will never accept any screening process that truncates his lifelong ambition. The same goes for James Augoye, Agwariavwodo, Fred Majemite and others. The DC-23 has just wasted precious time, resources and energy. The final DC-23 document is only fit for the trash can” It added.
”The handlers of the DC-23 group had assumed quite erroneously that by screening a large pool of Governorship aspirants from Delta Central that they would be able to reduce the number to 5 and then 3 and finally 1. They also forget that the Ijaws are also trying to prune the number of their aspirants from 3 to 1. There is also no guarantee that the screening process by the DC-23 will actually reduce the number of their aspirants. The DC-23 is not a Political Party and cannot play its role. It is also not an electoral body and has no legal powers whatsoever. Many of the aspirants that have been out-screened by the DC-23 screening committee will still contest the PDP Governorship Primaries and this would lead to an implosion in the DC-23 camp.It is therefore a fallacy of enormous proportions to assume that power must now return to the Delta Central in 2023. What happens to the Isokos and the Ijaws and even the Ndokwa Nation? Let it be known that the Isokos, the Ijaws and even the Ndokwa people have never had a taste of the Governorship from 1999 – date. Any other contraption that does not accommodate every ethnic nationality is an invitation to anarchy.The claim of the Ijaws for the 2023 Governorship is therefore legitimate, justifiable and very germane. Politically, the Ijaws have supported every successive government since 1999. The Ijaws specifically stood behind Dr. Okowa very stoutly in 2015 and 2019. The Ijaws see 2023 as payback time for their consistent patience, loyalty and dedication to the Delta State Political experiment and for keeping the State as one indivisible entity. The militants of Ijaws had respectfully demilitarised their operations throughout the people of Dr. Okowa’s government out of loyalty and respect.
”The Ijaws have thus contributed immeasurably to the stability of the State and National economy by protecting the pipelines and keeping militants in check in spite of glaring marginalisation of the ethnic nationality in National distribution of resources.
” This makes the common sense that the Iajws should be allowed to produce the next governor of Delta state to allow them to develop their oil devastated environment with which resources successive governments have shortchanged them in terms of infrastructural development over the decades” The statement added.
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