- Ex-Lawmaker, Ukubeyinje tells Gov: Warri North Has No Chairmanship Candidate Yet…
- Isoko North PDP Chiefs Berate Leo Ogor, Urge Okowa to Call Lawmaker to Order…
By Hamilton Nwosa( Head, The New Diplomat’s Polling, Research & Data Desk)
The crisis rocking the conduct of party primaries in Delta state Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has escalated as a former member of the Delta State House of Assembly, and two-time Commissioner in the state, Hon. Misan Ukubeyinje, has reiterated that unless the designated leaders and stakeholders of the PDP in Warri North sit together at a meeting to pick a consensus chairmanship candidate for the March 6 2021 council elections in the state, whatever name that is being bandied in Asaba is non-existent and a total nullity.
Hon Misan Ukubeyinje, a two-time former commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Delta state, cautioned that unless the designated and appropriate leaders and stakeholders of the party in Warri North meet over the political tension arising from plots by one or two persons to simply write the name of a particular aspirant and forward same to the state governor, there is bound to be a crisis of unmitigated proportion and dimension that would soon prove difficult to de-escalate across Delta South senatorial zone as a whole.
While some maintain that some leaders and the PDP EXCO in the Local government had meet and allegedly agreed on a consensus arrangement to concede the chairmanship slot to Ijaws of Warri North in the build-up towards 2023, the former member of the Delta state House of Assembly, Ukubeyinje debunked the assertion.
According to him, there is no basis for such an assertion as ” it is illegal, baseless and totally unconstitutional.” Hon Ukubeyinje , a radical political titan insisted that PDP has not conducted the primaries for those jostling to fly the party’s flag in the local council election.
The two-term former commissioner urged the state governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and ”the leadership of the party to disregard the purported consensus candidate as it has no backing of critical party leaders including the immediate past governor of the state, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan who is the coordinator of the committee for the convention of stakeholders.”
According to the former lawmaker, former Governor Uduaghan, who is also the Coordinator of the committee for the convention of critical stakeholders meeting to aggregate critical perspectives as well as fine-tune arrangement for a PDP in-house selection of a consensus candidate was not also consulted on the subject matter.
Ukubeyinje said: “Only a few minute persons without the requisite mandate and authority in Itsekiriland took that decision without involving critical stakeholders in the Council area.
“No meeting was called but a few minute persons of Itsekiri extraction met and allegedly concede the Chairmanship seat to one Smart Asekutu of Ijaw extraction”.
Ukubeyinje warned further; “That decision is illegal, baseless and unconstitutional as the only proper thing to do is the conduct of the party primaries and called on the State party exco and the Governor of the State, Sen, (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa to conduct same to avert crisis. The authors of the chairmanship concession agenda are only bent on creating unwarranted crisis in the council and make it ungovernable for Governor Okowa.”
According to the former lawmaker, conceding the Chairmanship to Ijaws is not a panacea for peace but a recipe for maximum chaos. The two-time erstwhile commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources warned that , “a decision of such magnitude can only be taken by His Majesty the Olu of Warri in –Council after a critical stakeholder meeting with the relevant authorities.”
He added; “As a critical stakeholder and legal adviser to PDP in Warri North no such meeting of critical stakeholders was called.
“Therefore, for anybody or group to say one Ijaw candidate has been picked and a PDP nomination form also issued to him is not only illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional but smacks of imposition with impunity and an insult to our collective conscience as a people.
“This is a democracy. Everyone has a right to contest on a level playing ground. Our amiable Governor should conduct a primary for all interested aspirants and good luck to the winner of the primary.”
Another boiling point trailing the PDP consensus arrangement in Delta South is the choice of who becomes the party candidate in Isoko North Local Government Area. The New Diplomat gathered that the struggle for supremacy was among Hon. Leo Ogor of the House of Representatives, former State PDP chairman, Elder Emma Ogidi, a highly respected and honorable political leader, former SSG to Delta state government, Comrade Ovuozorie Macaulay, who is considered as more liked amongst Isoko North people than Leo Ogor, whose performance at the House of Reps has been seen as less than honorable and Hon. Tim Owhefere of the State House of Assembly.
“In normal circumstances, Elder Emma Ogidi and Comrade Ovuozorie Macaulay should be the ones to play the leadership role, not Rt Hon Leo Ogor, whose voice and impact have never been felt in Isoko North. I am surprised that somebody is even listening to Leo Ogor…”, said an Isoko activist, Comrade Paschal Itugbu.
A very reliable source told The New Diplomat that a meeting scheduled to hold at the country home of Hon. Leo Ogor to resolve the issue of a consensus chairmanship candidate ended in fiasco as Comrade Macaulay and Elder Emmanuel Ogidi were reported to have stormed out of the meeting in protest.
However, The New Diplomat gathered that a peace deal has been reached with both sides of the political gladiators sharing position of chairmanship and vice-chairmanship in scheme of things. Insiders believe that this deal would likely resolve the issues and restore peace.
