2023 GOVERNORSHIP RACE.....

......UPU YOUTH WING ADVOCATES FOR POWER SHIFT TO DELTA CENTRAL SENATORIAL DISTRICT

By Edaah Omonigho

Ughelli-

The Youth Wing of Urhobo  Progress Union, UPU worldwide, has appealed to all Deltans to support Governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa and Chief James Ibori  to carefully assess the Delta Central Senatorial aspirants and come out with a detribalized Candidate with sound quality and competency, that is acceptable, accessible and capable to continue with the entrenchment of justice, fairness and equity across the three senatorial zones of Delta State.

The Urhobo youths made this appeal at a Press Conference held at the National Secretariat of UPU Agbarho, Ughelli North LGA.

The President of UPU Youth Wing Worldwide, Comrade Duru Nixon-Ufuoma while addressing members of the press, said according to the gentleman agreement of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, it is the turn of Delta Central Senatorial District to produce the party's candidate for the 2023 gubernatorial election in Delta State.

 He noted that, Delta Central Senatorial District shall present a detribalized Delta Central man to fly the flag of the PDP come 2023.

The Urhobo youth called on all Urhobo sons and daughters, most especially the political class, leaders and stakeholders to remain unworried and unwavering and go about their political businesses undeterred.

They urged politicians from Delta South, to support an Urhobo candidate come 2023 so as to strengthen the bond of unity in the PDP and in the state in general.

The Urhobo youths urged the leadership of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,  stand on the path of Justice and fairness by ensuring that the rotational governorship arrangement is sustained to strengthen the peaceful coexistence, unity and development of Delta State. 

They urged politicians from Delta Central to be United, speak with one voice and avoid actions capable of.disrupting the Governorship ambition of the Urhobos.

They also appealee to other political parties in Delta State to give their party gubernatorial ticket to Delta Central sons or daughters for the 2023 governorship election because the act of rotating the governorship position has become a political masterstroke which remains the most important agreement that stabilized Delta State for peaceful coexistence and put her on the part of unity, peace and equity development across the three senatorial zones.

The Urhobo youths appealed to all Deltans to peacefully support Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and Chief James Ibori  to carefully assess the Delta Central aspirants and come out with a detribalized candidate with sound quality and competency, that is acceptable, accessible and capable to continue with the entrenchment of justice, fairness and equity across the three senatorial zones of Delta State.

Below is the speech of the Press Conference:

A PRESS CONFERENCE ON THE ROTATION OF GOVERNORSHIP POSITION IN DELTA STATE, ADDRESSED BY THE PRESIDENT OF URHOBO PROGRESS UNION (UPU) YOUTH WING (WORLDWIDE), COMR. DURU NIXON UFUOMA, ON 29 MAY, 2021.  AT THE URHOBO YOUTH NATIONAL SECRETARIAT, AGBARHO, DELTA STATE.

We, the entire members of the National Executive Council of Ukoko r’ Okugbe r’ Ighele r’ Urhobo (UPU YOUTH WING WORLDWIDE), our attention has been drawn to the constant discordant tunes from Delta South Senatorial zone to rock the turn of Delta Central Senatorial zone by demanding for ethnic zoning of the Governorship position, come 2023. 

Ordinarily, we, the Urhobo youth would have ignored the deliberate  moves by some politicians from Delta South Senatorial zone but if we do, we are not helping to build or consolidate on the unity, peace and equity the gentleman’s agreement has yielded across the three senatorial zones of Delta State, and in view of the enormous potential dangers this discordant ambition posses to Delta State and its consequences for breakdown of peace and security, it has become imperative, therefore we state as follows;

1. That come 2023, a detribalized Delta Central man shall be the Governor of Delta State because it is the turn of Delta Central zone to produce the next Governor of Delta State, therefore, the governorship position is not negotiable outside Delta Central come 2023.

2. That we, the Urhobo youth call on all Urhobo sons and daughters, most especially the political class, leaders and stakeholders to remain unworried and unwavering but go about their political businesses, "for it is the competition the Hawks refused to attend, a fowl claimed champion".

3. That those politicians from Delta South, making consultations and claiming to be the next governor of Delta state, come 2023 on the bases of ethnic rotation of the governorship position should not undermine the urhobos magnanimity in their support for PDP unwritten agreement on the rotation of power among the three senatorial zones in Delta state.

4. That we call on our Ijaw brothers from Delta South Senatorial zone sounding jarring tunes and secretly formulating a political alliance between Delta North and Delta South to effectively neutralize the political force of the Urhobos by 2023, to stop and obey the rules of the zoning accord so that the entrenchment of justice, fairness and equity in Delta State can be continue and sustain.

5. That this politically incorrect motives have a dangerous tendency to change the fortunes of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State, therefore, we are drawing the attention of the leadership of Peoples Democratic Party  (PDP) to the need and importance for maintaining the rotational governorship arrangement to sustain the peaceful coexistence, unity and development of Delta State. Even though Delta State is a multi-ethnic State, it is only a clear and sincere arrangement like the rotational governorship agreement that can make it possible for all the ethnic groups to attain the governorship position whenever it is the turn of the senatorial zone in which they are located. Therefore, we advise those of our brothers from Delta south who are drumming incongruous governorship ambition for 2023 to exercise patience and wait for their senatorial zone’s turn to produce a governor. 

6. That it rankles prudent and sane minds hearing that, in spite of the good sixteen (16) years of sacrifice, the Urhobos made for Delta South and North Senatorial zones to produce governors which led to the unprecedented peace and successes across Delta State, some politicians are still carrying out this campaign of calumny against the Urhobo people who initiated the Governorship rotation in the interest of the two other senatorial zones of Delta State.

7. That those politicians hoping and working tirelessly to capitalize on Urhobo disunity by secretly encouraging more Aspirant in Delta Central to divide Urhobo votes to achieve their 2023 gubernatorial ambition to see themselves having a scarecrow dream because if one political party failed to project her best aspirant, others will not fail, therefore, Urhobos are not in disunity but in unity, when the time comes, the world will see the Urhobos formidability and uncommon strength.

8. That Urhobo people firmly believe in the good people of Delta South and North Senatorial zones, therefore, we respectfully appeal to them to support Delta Central zone come 2023 to produce the next governor of Delta State, as a commensuration for the initiation of the governorship rotation which have pave ways for the minorities and made it possible for all the ethnic groups to attain the governorship position whenever it is the turn of their senatorial zone in which they are located.

9. That we also appeal to other political parties in Delta State to give their party gubernatorial ticket to Delta Central sons or daughters for the 2023 governorship election because the act of rotating the governorship position has become a political masterstroke which remains the most important agreement that stabilized Delta State for peaceful coexistence and put her on the part of unity, peace and equity development across the three senatorial zones.

10. That we also sincerely appeal to any Urhobo extraction working for aspirants from the other senatorial zones to quickly have a rethink and retrace their steps back home or else, such Urhobo renegades will be disgraced openly at the appropriate time.

It is an established fact that population gives political advantage because politics is a game of numbers. The Ijaws have been dominating power at the Delta South senatorial District owing to their population strength, but in Delta State in general, in spite of the Urhobo’s dominating power in population, the urhobos are magnanimous enough to accept the PDP unwritten agreement for the rotation of power on the three senatorial zones in the interest of unity, peace and equity. In reality, if Chief James Onanefe Ibori did not initiate the rotational policy or the Urhobos had resisted and opted out of the zoning accord, former Governor, Dr Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan and Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa wouldn’t have been Governors of Delta State.

It should be keenly noted that after Chief James Onanefe Ibori initiated and persuade the Urhobo political class in PDP to accept and adopt a system of rotational governorship position among the three senatorial zones of the state, this equity move was spread across the state and the PDP leaders in the three senatorial zones happily and jointly agreed that the governorship position should be adopted and rotated among the three senatorial zones of Delta state and not on ethnic basis, therefore, those calling for the rotation of the governorship seat in the state on the basis of ethnicity should restrain from it and be mindful of the fact that the Urhobos in Delta Central and Delta South Senatorial zones are almost two-third of the population of Delta State and the urhobos has been peaceful, friendly and very supportive since 2007.

Finally, Politics is not about friends, relatives or who you know, but it's about who is sincerely willing and ready to hold your hands when you need to win. During Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa’s campaign for his second tenure, he mentioned in several occasions that after his two terms in office, it will be the turn of Delta central zone to produce the next governor of Delta state.  Therefore, we, the Urhobo youth, with all respect, appeal to all Deltans to peacefully support our amiable Governor, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa and Chief James Onanefe Ibori  to carefully assess the Delta Central aspirants and come out with a detribalized candidate with sound quality and competency, that is acceptable, accessible and capable to continue with the entrenchment of justice, fairness and equity across the three senatorial zones of Delta State.

God bless Urhobo Nation,

God bless Delta State.

Thank you.

Comr. Duru Nixon Ufuoma.

(President, UPU Youth Wing Worldwide)