EMMANUEL ADDEH examines the chances of the
incumbent governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, in the Tuesday
election and writes that he must need more than luck to retain his seat
The politics of Delta State, South-South Nigeria, is probably as complex as the diversity of the almost 4.7 million inhabitants of the state.
While the many contending centrifugal forces, which always tend to pull the state apart are daily gaining grounds as the governorship poll is around the corner, there are already fears that some of these factors might largely determine the outcome of the Tuesday exercise.
As things stand, the battle for the soul of Delta has almost peaked and the gladiators seem to be putting all their machinery in motion for the final showdown 48 hours from now.
A highly volatile state, where even the slightest provocation by any of the opposing groups could cause wanton destruction of lives and property, the forthcoming poll promises to be a major challenge for the security agencies.
A very good explanation for the incendiary nature of the state, analysts say is the ready availability of youngsters, who are neither employed, nor in school due to the failure of the nation’s education system to accommodate them.
However, the governorship contest appears to be a straight battle between the incumbent Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Mr. Great Ogboru of the Democratic Peoples Party, with a few other parties struggling to make up the number.
With the PDP in the state reportedly factionalised following the rancour that followed the primaries into the various elective political positions as well as the already fragile peace in the party since 2007, pundits opine that the job of returning the incumbent would be a daunting one for his minders.
Already, some political heavyweights in the state among them Pius Ehwerido, who a few days ago won as the senator-elect for the DPP in Delta Central; Roland Eyime, former Commissioner Directorate of Science and Technology, and Ned Nwoko, ex-federal house member have left the PDP fold and have found a ready shelter in the opposition.
Also, the immediate past Ndokwa East Chairman who was impeached a few weeks back, Chike Ughumadu, Olise Imegwu, an ex-speaker of the state House of Assembly, Alanza Ugboma and Ejaife Odebala, have defected from the PDP to the DPP, Accord Party and Labour Party respectively.
Some highly placed federal government functionaries in the PDP in the state, including a serving Minister had also sworn that they would not work for a second term for the incumbent governor.
Perhaps, one of the greatest headaches of the governor, it would seem, is the battle between him and an elder statesman and a former federal Commissioner for Information, Chief Edwin Clark, who staunchly leads a faction of the PDP.
The public disagreement between the two, it also appears, has defied all reconciliatory efforts aimed at settling the rift even as two governorship candidates recently emerged in the recently concluded party primaries.
In fact, during the last governorship primaries, the Peter Nwaoboshi-led state executive, supported by Uduaghan, returned him as the party’s standard-bearer, while the Godwin Ebomah-led faction supported by Clark returned Saliba Mukoro, a retired military officer. The bitter bickering surrounding who should fly the party’s flag was, however, temporarily halted with the recognition of Uduaghan’s faction by the national headquarters of the party.
Though Clark, Uduaghan’s supposed tormentor-in-chief, remains in PDP, his support has always been for the DPP candidate, Ogboru, who was the standard-bearer in the last rerun and is currently running to unseat the governor.
To buttress his dissatisfaction with the running of the PDP in the state, the Ijaw leader sanctioned the decision of his son to pick a DPP form and seek a seat in the House of Representatives.
The octogenarian politician has however, not escaped flaks from those opposed to his kind of politics as he is seen by them as only propagating the Ijaw cause. Clark, however insists that he has nothing personal against the governor.
That apart, Ogboru, the DPP candidate, who nearly created an upset during the last rerun, by winning some of the traditional strongholds of the PDP’s almost 12 year reign in the state, is optimistic that this time the PDP would be trounced.
In the rerun which took place in January, PDP’s Uduaghan won in 14 local government areas, with 275,253 votes, while Ogboru’s DPP won in 11 local government areas with 138, 224 votes.
The DPP governorship contender had immediately gone to court, citing reasons why the court should declare him the winner in the poll he maintained was rigged by the PDP.
In fact, the DPP did not just give the ruling party a run for its money, it also won convincingly in some areas regarded as the traditional strongholds of the PDP, including Ukwani- where the DPP had 7,168 as against PDP’s 2,277. It also floored the PDP in Uvwie, Ughelli South and Isoko where many had predicted a landslide victory for Uduaghan.
Clearly, the surprises sprung by the rerun also played out in Ughelli South, where the state deputy governor, Prof. Amos Utuama, lost completely in his home town of Otu-Jeremi to the DPP. The same trend also played out in the just concluded National Assembly poll.
Also expected to play a pivotal role in who emerges the next governor of the state are the twin issues of tribe and geographic origin of the candidates.
While Ogboru performed strongest in his home area of Delta Central Senatorial District where the Urhobos reside in the January rerun, Uduaghan came out tops in Delta South Senatorial District, populated by the Ijaws, Itsekiris and Isokos.
Uduaghan, who is of Itsekiri origin, won heavily in Itsekiri and Ijaw populated Local Government Areas as a result of what analysts ascribe to the “Jonathan factor.” The president is Ijaw and has a strong support base among them.
Whether Uduaghan is able to court Delta North Senatorial District, which is currently the beautiful bride and is positioning itself for the 2015 governorship poll will also largely determine how far he goes in the next two weeks.
The north which is majorly the Igbo (Anioma) speaking segment of Delta state is already poised for a showdown with any likely impediment to their ascension to the headship of the state created out of former Bendel State in 1991.
Since the creation of the state, no person from the Igbo speaking part of the state consisting of Aniocha, Ika, Ukwuani and Ndoisimili had been a governor. The thinking is therefore that whoever among the contenders is able to assure them of the exalted position in 2015 would have had a major breakthrough in their bid to become governor.
Yet, another challenge for the re-election bid is the belief that he has had a not so impressive outing in his first four years which would expire this May 29.
There also seems to be a growing disenchantment with the spate of unfinished projects embarked upon by the Uduaghan administration, among them the international airport, the stadium complex in Asaba, and the dualisation of the Asaba-Ughelli road.
Even civil servants have also expressed their displeasure with Uduaghan, who is the third civilian governor since the creation of the state over two decades ago by voting massively against the governor in Asaba, the seat of government where the DPP won convincingly.
Aware of the role played by the civil servants which resulted in the near loss to the rival DPP, Uduaghan during his inauguration said he had no apology to those workers who voted against him due to what he described as the introduction of the biometric system ‘’which had swept away ghost workers from the state’’. A media aide to the governor told our correspondent that the civil servants were opposed to him, “because the governor has blocked all the avenues for stealing in the civil service.”
Having read the handwriting on the wall, the governor penultimate Thursday invited the high echelon of the civil service and many of them attended the meeting which took place at the government house.
Although, newsmen were not allowed into the arena, a press statement released by the information unit of the government house quoted the governor as telling the civil servants, “I have heard that you civil servants are still angry with me.
“I want to know what is making you people to be angry. I want to listen to your grievances and know your concerns about the public service in the state.” It is however still not certain the direction the workers will sway in Tuesday’s poll.
However, beyond the many challenges, there is still this confidence exuded by the governor’s aides.
In fact, the Communications Manager to the governor, Mr Paul Odili, believes that the chances of his principal emerging victorious in the election had never been brighter. So also is the coordinator of his campaign council, Chief Paulinus Apeki.
Though Odili admitted that, “a lot of things were taken for granted,” in the last rerun, he said those who mattered in the party that worked against it in the January election were back in the fold to ensure victory for Uduaghan.
He also dismissed those who were yet to come back as mere ‘’ paper tigers’’ who could not even boast of winning their constituency.
“Yes, we obviously took so many things for granted in the last poll. But I can assure you that this time the governor is fully ready to win again with a landslide. Mind you and you can quote me anywhere, that the governor did not campaign in the last election, but I am sure you are aware of his current door-to-door campaign strategy.
“Believe me, Uduaghan will return in April as the duly re-elected governor of this state. The people of this state are solidly behind him because he has a lot to show for his stewardship in the last four years or so.”
Whether or not the governor has succeeded in winning over his detractors, analysts believe, the outcome will be seen in less than 48 hours.
By EMMANUEL ADDEH Courtesy Of: Punch
The politics of Delta State, South-South Nigeria, is probably as complex as the diversity of the almost 4.7 million inhabitants of the state.
While the many contending centrifugal forces, which always tend to pull the state apart are daily gaining grounds as the governorship poll is around the corner, there are already fears that some of these factors might largely determine the outcome of the Tuesday exercise.
As things stand, the battle for the soul of Delta has almost peaked and the gladiators seem to be putting all their machinery in motion for the final showdown 48 hours from now.
A highly volatile state, where even the slightest provocation by any of the opposing groups could cause wanton destruction of lives and property, the forthcoming poll promises to be a major challenge for the security agencies.
A very good explanation for the incendiary nature of the state, analysts say is the ready availability of youngsters, who are neither employed, nor in school due to the failure of the nation’s education system to accommodate them.
However, the governorship contest appears to be a straight battle between the incumbent Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Mr. Great Ogboru of the Democratic Peoples Party, with a few other parties struggling to make up the number.
With the PDP in the state reportedly factionalised following the rancour that followed the primaries into the various elective political positions as well as the already fragile peace in the party since 2007, pundits opine that the job of returning the incumbent would be a daunting one for his minders.
Already, some political heavyweights in the state among them Pius Ehwerido, who a few days ago won as the senator-elect for the DPP in Delta Central; Roland Eyime, former Commissioner Directorate of Science and Technology, and Ned Nwoko, ex-federal house member have left the PDP fold and have found a ready shelter in the opposition.
Also, the immediate past Ndokwa East Chairman who was impeached a few weeks back, Chike Ughumadu, Olise Imegwu, an ex-speaker of the state House of Assembly, Alanza Ugboma and Ejaife Odebala, have defected from the PDP to the DPP, Accord Party and Labour Party respectively.
Some highly placed federal government functionaries in the PDP in the state, including a serving Minister had also sworn that they would not work for a second term for the incumbent governor.
Perhaps, one of the greatest headaches of the governor, it would seem, is the battle between him and an elder statesman and a former federal Commissioner for Information, Chief Edwin Clark, who staunchly leads a faction of the PDP.
The public disagreement between the two, it also appears, has defied all reconciliatory efforts aimed at settling the rift even as two governorship candidates recently emerged in the recently concluded party primaries.
In fact, during the last governorship primaries, the Peter Nwaoboshi-led state executive, supported by Uduaghan, returned him as the party’s standard-bearer, while the Godwin Ebomah-led faction supported by Clark returned Saliba Mukoro, a retired military officer. The bitter bickering surrounding who should fly the party’s flag was, however, temporarily halted with the recognition of Uduaghan’s faction by the national headquarters of the party.
Though Clark, Uduaghan’s supposed tormentor-in-chief, remains in PDP, his support has always been for the DPP candidate, Ogboru, who was the standard-bearer in the last rerun and is currently running to unseat the governor.
To buttress his dissatisfaction with the running of the PDP in the state, the Ijaw leader sanctioned the decision of his son to pick a DPP form and seek a seat in the House of Representatives.
The octogenarian politician has however, not escaped flaks from those opposed to his kind of politics as he is seen by them as only propagating the Ijaw cause. Clark, however insists that he has nothing personal against the governor.
That apart, Ogboru, the DPP candidate, who nearly created an upset during the last rerun, by winning some of the traditional strongholds of the PDP’s almost 12 year reign in the state, is optimistic that this time the PDP would be trounced.
In the rerun which took place in January, PDP’s Uduaghan won in 14 local government areas, with 275,253 votes, while Ogboru’s DPP won in 11 local government areas with 138, 224 votes.
The DPP governorship contender had immediately gone to court, citing reasons why the court should declare him the winner in the poll he maintained was rigged by the PDP.
In fact, the DPP did not just give the ruling party a run for its money, it also won convincingly in some areas regarded as the traditional strongholds of the PDP, including Ukwani- where the DPP had 7,168 as against PDP’s 2,277. It also floored the PDP in Uvwie, Ughelli South and Isoko where many had predicted a landslide victory for Uduaghan.
Clearly, the surprises sprung by the rerun also played out in Ughelli South, where the state deputy governor, Prof. Amos Utuama, lost completely in his home town of Otu-Jeremi to the DPP. The same trend also played out in the just concluded National Assembly poll.
Also expected to play a pivotal role in who emerges the next governor of the state are the twin issues of tribe and geographic origin of the candidates.
While Ogboru performed strongest in his home area of Delta Central Senatorial District where the Urhobos reside in the January rerun, Uduaghan came out tops in Delta South Senatorial District, populated by the Ijaws, Itsekiris and Isokos.
Uduaghan, who is of Itsekiri origin, won heavily in Itsekiri and Ijaw populated Local Government Areas as a result of what analysts ascribe to the “Jonathan factor.” The president is Ijaw and has a strong support base among them.
Whether Uduaghan is able to court Delta North Senatorial District, which is currently the beautiful bride and is positioning itself for the 2015 governorship poll will also largely determine how far he goes in the next two weeks.
The north which is majorly the Igbo (Anioma) speaking segment of Delta state is already poised for a showdown with any likely impediment to their ascension to the headship of the state created out of former Bendel State in 1991.
Since the creation of the state, no person from the Igbo speaking part of the state consisting of Aniocha, Ika, Ukwuani and Ndoisimili had been a governor. The thinking is therefore that whoever among the contenders is able to assure them of the exalted position in 2015 would have had a major breakthrough in their bid to become governor.
Yet, another challenge for the re-election bid is the belief that he has had a not so impressive outing in his first four years which would expire this May 29.
There also seems to be a growing disenchantment with the spate of unfinished projects embarked upon by the Uduaghan administration, among them the international airport, the stadium complex in Asaba, and the dualisation of the Asaba-Ughelli road.
Even civil servants have also expressed their displeasure with Uduaghan, who is the third civilian governor since the creation of the state over two decades ago by voting massively against the governor in Asaba, the seat of government where the DPP won convincingly.
Aware of the role played by the civil servants which resulted in the near loss to the rival DPP, Uduaghan during his inauguration said he had no apology to those workers who voted against him due to what he described as the introduction of the biometric system ‘’which had swept away ghost workers from the state’’. A media aide to the governor told our correspondent that the civil servants were opposed to him, “because the governor has blocked all the avenues for stealing in the civil service.”
Having read the handwriting on the wall, the governor penultimate Thursday invited the high echelon of the civil service and many of them attended the meeting which took place at the government house.
Although, newsmen were not allowed into the arena, a press statement released by the information unit of the government house quoted the governor as telling the civil servants, “I have heard that you civil servants are still angry with me.
“I want to know what is making you people to be angry. I want to listen to your grievances and know your concerns about the public service in the state.” It is however still not certain the direction the workers will sway in Tuesday’s poll.
However, beyond the many challenges, there is still this confidence exuded by the governor’s aides.
In fact, the Communications Manager to the governor, Mr Paul Odili, believes that the chances of his principal emerging victorious in the election had never been brighter. So also is the coordinator of his campaign council, Chief Paulinus Apeki.
Though Odili admitted that, “a lot of things were taken for granted,” in the last rerun, he said those who mattered in the party that worked against it in the January election were back in the fold to ensure victory for Uduaghan.
He also dismissed those who were yet to come back as mere ‘’ paper tigers’’ who could not even boast of winning their constituency.
“Yes, we obviously took so many things for granted in the last poll. But I can assure you that this time the governor is fully ready to win again with a landslide. Mind you and you can quote me anywhere, that the governor did not campaign in the last election, but I am sure you are aware of his current door-to-door campaign strategy.
“Believe me, Uduaghan will return in April as the duly re-elected governor of this state. The people of this state are solidly behind him because he has a lot to show for his stewardship in the last four years or so.”
Whether or not the governor has succeeded in winning over his detractors, analysts believe, the outcome will be seen in less than 48 hours.
By EMMANUEL ADDEH Courtesy Of: Punch
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