BEVERLY HILLS, February 02, (THEWILL) – The much flaunted “Uvwiamuge Declaration” has collapsed following a messy bickering which has torn the ethnic group apart.
The last straw that broke the camel’s back was the Sunday’s endorsement by the Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU) of the Labour Party (LP)’s governorship candidate, Chief Great Ogboru, as its sole candidate for the February 28 governorship election in Delta State.
Ogboru and Olorogun O’tega Emerhor of the All Progressives Congress (APC) had caused so much bickering in the Delta Central Senatorial District of the state over who should be adopted as the consensus candidate of Urhobo ethnic nationality against Okowa of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
With the development, the Urhobo apex social/cultural organisation, Urhobo Progressive Union (UPU), has been torn into shreds as a faction of the body has also picked Emerhor as its sole candidate.
Sources said the development would give the PDP governorship candidate, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, an edge in the governorship race as Urhobo votes will be divided, thus giving Okowa a smooth cruise to the Government House, Asaba.
THEWILL was told that the UPU led by Chief Joe Omene had settled for a voting option in deciding who should be picked as the consensus candidate of Urhobo nation, following the horse trading and division which the bickering had caused the body.
The adoption of Ogboru came after series of consultations with the 24 President Generals of the Urhobo Kingdom , the womenfolk (Eghweya), the traditional rulers, leaders and elders of Urhobo nation as well as the youth wing of the union.
THEWILL learnt that four members of the body who were in support of Emerhor had staged a walk-out, sensing that they were in the minority and the voting may not favour their principal.
Speaking to newsmen after the crucial meeting of the union that lasted over eight hours at Mosogar, Ethiope West Local Government Area of Delta State, the UPU President General, Chief Joe Omene, said out of the 15 members of the UPU executive, 14 were present at the meeting where it was decided that secret ballot voting system be adopted.
Omene said out of the 14 members of the executive that were present and cast their votes, 10 members voted for Ogboru while 4 voted for O’tega Emerhor, a development which made Ogboru the sole candidate of Urhobo nation.
“Before we decided to go on the secret ballot voting, we threw on the floor of the house whether we should still suspend the election till after the presidential election, that is after February 14 but out of the 14 members that were present, four members said it should be after the presidential election while 10 members said the election for who represents Urhobo should be done now and that was why we decided to go on secret ballot voting and the moment these four persons noticed they were on the minority side, they immediately walked out,” Omene said.
Continuing, he said; “The voting process was followed according to the response from the kingdom president generals, youths, women and elders and that was how we decided that the majority should have their way and that was how Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru emerged as the Urhobo’s choice and sole candidate.”
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