2015: Delta North; ‘it is our turn’ mantra and the PDP
As we approach the 2015 general elections in Delta State, a new hymn has been composed, taught and taking pride of place in gatherings in the state. It is entitled: ‘It is our turn’, the hymn whose composer is not readily known but is being sung by aspirants and the electorate in Delta North with so much gusto.
Hear them sing: It is our turn, it is our turn. Delta Central has gone, it is our turn. Delta South is there, it is our turn. Hohoho…and it is the PDP gubernatorial ticket.
Governorship aspirants use this hymn as a campaign tune wherever they go to campaign or ‘consult’ as the case may be.
The argument these politicians present is that it is the turn of Delta North to govern Delta State and that for the sake of equity and fairness, it should be left for them. Hypocrisy of the highest order! He who must seek equity must go with clean hands. When has Delta North suddenly become recognizant of zoning and attendant equity and fairness? When in the history of Delta State has Delta North not produced aspirants for the gubernatorial elections?
In 1999 when Chief James Onanefe Ibori contested governorship on the platform of the PDP, who were his contenders in the PDP primaries? A background check will show the ethnic group of late Dr Joshua Enueme and Ifeanyi Onwukambi. Both men are Delta northerners and did not relax on the supposed zoning agreement. They joined the race and lost to a candidate from Delta Central. It was failure that removed them from the race not zoning.
2003 elections came too with aspirants from the same Delta North alongside others from Delta South and Delta Central. The PDP primaries which brought out Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan in 2007 was keenly contested by aspirants from across the state, Delta North fully active too.
Now that 2015 is here and this hymn is being sung, one is left confused on the meaning of equity. There has never been a time in history where FAILURE is given a turn to be the preference. For a previous FAILURE to be renamed, it has to shed its sackcloth, take a bath and adorn new robes. This is to say, Delta North politicians should go through the baptism of the primaries and win in order to be renamed.
Handing over the PDP ticket to Delta North without primary election will be like trying to give a hungry child the moon because he tearfully pointed at it as his preferred meal. The consequences on the child and the giver is better left imagined.
PDP needs not to take an uninsurable risk and ignore Urhobo Progress Union and the Urhobo people who gave President Goodluck Jonathan over 800,000 votes in 2011 and in the process give APC the chance to grab the crucial 25 percent of votes in the presidential election in Delta. PDP needs someone from Delta Central who is formidable enough to comprehensively defeat the candidate of Urhobo extraction, or anyone else the APC and Labour Party will field in the governorship election.
As the ‘it’s our turn mantra’ continues to resonate, an Omo-Agege governorship will settle all prejudices and worries. He maintains strong age old links with the Anioma people, as his native Orogun and Aboh kingdom share historical bonds of genealogy, friendship and brotherhood. He went to Obinomba Grammar School, Ukwuani local government area in the heart of Delta North where he enjoyed a large community of life-long childhood friends. By cultural and sociological heritage, no one can be more Anioma than Omo-Agege. Those who lay claim to zoning within Delta North can only exclude him by spurious geography not sound logic.
Obaisi (Barr.) Ovie Omo-Agege has consistently argued that PDP needs a candidate, who can help President Jonathan win his re-election. I consider Omo-Agege as formidable enough to comprehensively win the governorship for the party and help Goodluck achieve higher voter turnout in the presidential election. His nomination will guarantee the PDP a start off with about 60 percent of the votes which the Urhobos can muster all across the state and effectively put the election out of play for the opposition even before the campaigns begin.
But should PDP ignore UPU and the Urhobo people; the inconvenient truth is that the Urhobos could, in line the Uvwaimuge Declaration switch their votes en masse to the APC in protest.
Sadly for the Aniomas, they do not have the leverage of protest vote compared to Urhobo’s and it is very clear the odds are in favour of Delta Central in producing the next governor of Delta and the man better positioned to emerge is the Obaisi of Urhobo land.
Gabriel Akpokona is a public affairs analyst
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