…As More Endorsements Pour In For Former Governor
As things currently stand in Delta South, indications are rife that Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, Senatorial Candidate of the All Progressives Congress will see off the challenge posed by fellow contestant, incumbent Senator James Manager of the Peoples Democratic Party as the former Delta Governor continues to gather steam and momentum for good showing ahead of the February 16 National House of Assembly elections.
Senator Manager, having held on to seat for almost 16 years, was initially touted by pundits to have a field day at the poll, but far from it as Dr. Uduaghan had since gathered towering support from among electorates in the district to further shore up his popularity to an all-time high, following his good antecedent as the Governor of ‘The Big Heart’ state for eight years.
While many of the constituents had bemoaned the lack of quality representation by Senator Manager in his near two-decade presence at the Senate, another weighty albatross hanging on his neck is the ethnic realignment among the group of three (G3) — Isoko, Ijaw, and Itsekiri ethnic nationalities which make up the Delta South Senatorial District, something which is working in favour of the former Governor, Uduaghan.
The in-thing in Southern Delta now is that they have had enough of Manager from the Ijaw ethnic group, hence, the call for a power shift as constituents are rallying support for Uduaghan who is an Itsekiri, and staunchly supported by the Isoko ethnic nationality to see through the gentleman arrangement of power rotation among the three ethnic nationalities.
It appears the numbers are gathering for Uduaghan since he started his consultations and door-to-door campaigns across the three ethnic divides in September 2018. Among the popular endorsements he has in his kitty were that of the Isoko North and South traditional rulers; Isoko Development Union; Olu of Warri; Liberation Movement, Ijaw Women for Good Governance, Burutu Political Vanguard for Good Governance, and National Association of Itsekiri Graduates (NAIG) among others.
Spokesman of the Isoko South traditional rulers, Anthony Ovrawah, Omogha 1, the Odio-Ologbo of Oleh, gave an unequivocal assurance to the former governor when he paid a courtesy call on the monarchs recently. “You have the blessings and support of Isoko nation for the senatorial seat. You’re our candidate for the Senate. We picked you not because of APC but for who you are.” The Odio-Ologbo continued: “I have opened the door of the Senate to Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan because he is an illustrious son of Isoko nation and we have confidence in him. We know him. Isoko nation benefitted immensely during your tenure. You are one of us”. Explaining why he was personally indebted to Uduaghan, the royal father recalled how “when you were governor; you paid me an unexpected visit. I was almost at the point of death. I didn’t complain to you or anyone close to you of any ailment. But as a true medical doctor, you detected I was sick. You insisted that your personal ambulance took me to Oghara Teaching Hospital where I was treated free of charge”. He said before his visit, “my people and I had resolved to throw our support behind you and the Itsekiris. The position belongs to three children. It is the turn of the Itsekiris”.
In a similar development in Ozoro at the palace of Anthony Ogbogbo, Idudu 1, Ovie of Ozoro kingdom, royal fathers from Isoko North local government area said they would not forget in a hurry Uduaghan’s support for the traditional institution when he was governor, noting how he accorded the traditional institution its due respect and as well, raised the status of royal fathers to an enviable position in the country. It was therefore a case of one good turn deserving another. According to the Ovie, “the other kings are here to see the man who elevated their status. You’re somebody that fought for the traditional rulers and the sanctity of our culture. We (traditional rulers) in Delta State will not forget you in a hurry. You did well as a governor”. The royal fathers were particularly swept off their feet by Uduaghan’s well-articulated speech in which he unfolded his four-point agenda if given the mandate to represent to them. In the words of the Ovie, “you won our hearts with your issue-based speech. We pray God to grant your aspiration with a resounding victory.”
Uduaghan had in several speeches told monarchs from the two local government areas that he was in Isoko land to intimate them of his vision before officially flagging off his senatorial campaign in the areas. He noted that as a former Secretary to the State Government, SSG and Secretary to the State Security Council, and later as a governor of the state, he had deep knowledge of the enormous role traditional rulers play in helping to ensure peace and security. “One of the reasons why I am seeking your support to go to the Senate is that I believe that our traditional institution should have legal backing in their role in ensuring peace in the country. I also believe that as people from oil-producing communities, we should have a major stake in the ownership of the oil and gas companies in our communities. Through this, our communities will benefit more from the oil and gas that is derived from our area.”
Uduaghan, who had practiced as a medical doctor before he turned politician also promised to push for the cleaning up of some despoilated communities, stressing that based on his experience as a governor, so much could be done to create jobs for unemployed youths in the region, while also ensuring that infrastructure reaches the people of the area. Uduaghan made a solemn pledge that as a senator, he would represent the interest of Isoko Nation and ensure that their pains were addressed by the federal government.
The endorsement didn’t come from traditional rulers alone as the umbrella body of Isoko ethnic nationality, Isoko Development Union, IDU, a socio-political group, had also endorsed the candidacy of the former governor. In his words, President-General of IDU, Iduh Amadhe, noted at the IDU Unity House in Oleh, Isoko South, that “the political representation quagmire at the Senate has been giving us headache. We need someone with proven experience to represent us. I don’t need to make along speech, Your Excellency. But all I have to tell you is that when you get to the Senate, don’t forget Isoko”.
The former governor who is confident of winning the seat had in a recent interview expressed satisfaction over the endorsements by various groups in Isoko land, given the fact that in terms of population, Isoko is the most populous after Ijaw. So, with a coalition of Isoko and Itsekiri forming a formidable alliance to confront the Ijaw, there is every likelihood of victory. “I’m expecting a lot of votes from Isoko. And with the traditional rulers endorsing me, with Isoko Development Union endorsing, It’s a very positive sign and it’s very encouraging”.
Earlier in his campaign proceedings, the Delta South senatorial candidate had kicked off his consultation visits last September, from his Itsekiri homestead. Speaking at the palace of Olu of Warri, Ogiame Ikenwoli, Uduaghan stated that the Niger Delta needed her first eleven at the Senate, stressing that “Delta South, and indeed all of Niger Delta, cannot afford to pass on this opportunity to send her best hands to the Senate to consolidate on the gains of the Buhari-led APC administration in our rich region”.
“Politics of inclusiveness is the answer to our cries for even development in the Niger Delta, not a divisive one that has brought our region to its lowest ebb politically”, he told the Olu of Warri.
Throwing their weight behind the former governor even before he picked the APC ticket, Ijaws, under the aegis of Ijaw Liberation Movement, expressed their desire to have him represent them. The group’s leader, Peremotebi Simeon, said they wanted their son, Manager, to serve out his four tenures of 16 years in the Senate after which Uduaghan from the Itsekiri nationality, should succeed him. In his words, “ the only dynamic thing is change. I am not saying our brother did not do well or is not doing well, but I believe a fresh candidate will bring something fresh to the table for our own benefit. “We had followed Dr. Uduaghan’s painstaking effort to develop our area, and the whole state, while he was governor of Delta State. We are also aware that he stepped down for our son to continue a few years ago, so he is the most suitable person for the job now. Above all, we the Ijaws benefitted so much from his government. Now it’s pay-back time as one good turn deserves another”.
Ijaw Women for Good Governance, (IWGG) on their part, said though the incumbent, Senator James Manager had been there for over 15 years, the people of Delta South had not felt his impact in the zone as “every part of the senatorial district smells backwardness,” stressing that “the time has come for dynamism to be introduced into representation in Delta South Senatorial District to make our people smile for once.”
While stating that they were not really interested from which party the best man emerges from, the women averred that “all we are interested in is who will bring better life to us”. Lamenting that the zone had constantly played a second fiddle to other senatorial districts even though one of their own is representing them, the spokesperson of the group, Janet Waribogu, said there was the urgent need to vote in another experienced politician like Uduaghan to continue from where the current senator representing the zone would stop in the next few months after the general elections. Waribogu said this was necessary to attract sustainable development to the area which “ has faced utter neglect for so long, declaring that “enough is enough”.
Chairman of Burutu Political Vanguard for Good Governance (BPVGG) Ebikapaye Agidee, who spoke to reporters in Bomadi, Bomadi LGA said: “Without mincing words, we are sure that Uduaghan will give us effective representation devoid of bias against a particular ethnic group, as against some people’s thinking. “As a former governor, he displayed all the said qualities and I urge all constituents in Delta South to give him the needed support. His free healthcare scheme, maintenance of peace between Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo, infrastructure development, and many others, had already spoken for him”.
For the aspiring senator, it was a pleasant new year gift from the National Association of Itsekiri Graduates who on January 1, endorsed him as their candidate. In its 2019 new year message to Itsekiri graduates world-wide signed by its National President, Collins Oritsetimeyin Edema, the association explained that after several consultations with different interest groups and critical stakeholders, it concluded that amongst the four Itsekiri candidates gearing to represent the district, “Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan stands a better chance to wrest power from the incumbent senator who has under-performed”. Appealing to the conscience of his members, Edema said “the 2019 general election is a choice between immediate financial gains and sustainable development…Our choice in the 2019 general elections will either lead to the completion of the dredging of the Warri River or the suspension of the project. Our choice in the 2019 general elections will either lead to the opening of the Warri and Koko ports or the continuous closure of those ports. Our choice in the 2019 general elections will either lead to the commencement of work on the Gas Revolution Industrial Park (GRIP), Ogidigben, or the continuous hopelessness we face. Our choice in the 2019 general elections will either lead to the passage of the bill for the establishment of the Federal Polytechnic, Koko into law or the suspension of the bill. Our choice in the 2019 general elections will either lead to the gazetting and revival of the $5million vocational training center, Egbokodo that is in a sorry state, or the continuous neglect”.
According to National Association of Itsekiri Graduates (NAIG) president, “my plea is premised on the fact that this election is our best chance yet to liberate the good people of Delta South Senatorial District from the incumbent political “Mugabe” hence we should not allow our personal ambition to becloud our collective ambition. It is better to be anti-party than to be anti-Itsekiri. Political parties will come and go but the Itsekri nation will remain. We need to make real sacrifice if the Itsekiri nation is to remain politically relevant in the next four years”.
While the jury is still out on the contest, current political developments show that the race is Dr. Uduaghan’s to lose.
