SAN FRANCISCO, December 10, (THEWILL) – The drama preceding the Delta Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governorship Primary was laced with intrigues, as many factors played out during the governorship contest in the predominantly PDP state.
The primary however produced a resounding victory for Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and the unlikely alliance between the Chief James Ibori faction and President Goodluck Jonathan’s fellow Ijaws led by Senator James Manager, Chief Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo), as well as Chief Edwin Clark and a rejection of Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s ethnocentric gang up against the emergence of a Delta North Governor.
Senator Okowa’s convincing victory over Uduaghan’s anti Delta North agenda and the poll results showed that the Delta North aspirants were not as toothless as being trumpeted.
The results were shaped by three major political factors that upturned the current system in Delta politics with Uduaghan government structure deployed to his last minute ethnic political revenge by his adoption of Mr. David Edevbie and a greek gift to Urhobo sentiments, in a desperate bid to counter Ibori’s directive to his political structure to collapse unto Okowa.
The other force was former Speaker Victor Ochei against the odds polling well to come third in the contest. His bid without support from the established political system came out surprisingly robust and respectable. If these factors are accounted for in the results, it may be realistic to include the major players and extrapolate how the contenders actually stood out.
From exit poll data of five delegates from each LGA explaining their preference and motivation, an analysis revealed that the defeat of Uduaghan was total, regardless of the votes his supported aspirant, Edevbie, got. The following shows the standings of the main contenders :
1. Urhobo Ethnic Sentiments (Edevbie) – 190
2. Victor Ochei – 185
3. Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa – 180
4. James Ibori Structure (Okowa) – 146
5. Uduaghan Govt Structure (Edevbie) – 129
6. Manager+ Tompolo+ Clark (Okowa) – 80
7. Ndudi Elumelu – 50
8. Godsday Orubebe – 49
9. Godswill Obielum – 22
10. Sam Obi – 10
11. Ngozi Olejeme – 10
12. Sylvester Monye – 10
13. Ovie Omo-Agege – 10
14. Peter Okocha – 6
15. Tony Obuh – 5
16. David Edevbie – 5
17. Charles Emetulu – 4
18. Kenneth Gbagi – 2
19. Tony Uwaka – 1.
A BBM message in circulation around Delta best describes the feeling by some close associates of the embattled Governor.
“The BAUCHI 2007 experience has repeated itself in Delta State today. Governor Uduaghan has failed to produce a successor and he also failed to make it to the Senate. Uduaghan’s plan was to kill the James Ibori political structure in Delta State. At first, Uduaghan projected one stranger called Tony Obuh while James Ibori from London prison endorsed Ifeanyi Okowa. It was a battle between the Ibori and Uduaghan political class for months on who to produce the next Governor of Delta State. After several protest from different quarters calling for the withdrawal of Tony Obuh from the race because he’s not a politician, Governor Uduaghan yet again ran to the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) with $1m for them to give him a candidate and they brought David Edevbie but again James Ibori from London prison insisted on Ifeanyi Okowa.
“ Uduaghan went about threatening the Ibori supporters to deliver Edevbie while Ibori was busy calling his supporters all through today to deliver Okowa. At the end, the Ibori group won. This is a proof that James Ibori remains the political leader of Delta State. I pity my brother Governor Uduaghan, for little did he know that no man is God. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan (EEU) and the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) how market?”
This piece was contributed by Kelvin Aduba Monye, a political analyst that monitored the primary.
