URHOBO MANDATE GROUP - DELTA GUBER 2015: IBORIS GRAND CONSPIRACY AGAINST PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN. We have watched with keen interest the just concluded primaries of the two major political parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) which the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) has requested to field Urhobo persons as their gubernatorial flag bearers in the general election of next year. While the APC nominated Olorogun O’tega Emerhor as its flag bearer, the PDP turned its back on the Urhobo nation, the majority tribe in the state. By so doing, the PDP have now thrown a life line to the opposition parties, including the Labour Party, whose candidate is Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru. 1. Let no one doubt the resolve of the Urhobo people to stand by the Uvwiamuge Declaration. For failing to appreciate the electoral strength of the Urhobo nation, the PDP should blame itself for the backlash which is sure to happen as the Urhobo people, who were ready, willing and prepared to form a strategic partnership with the PDP at the state and national levels in the 2015 general elections would now massively vote candidates of the opposition parties in all elections from the House of Assembly to the Presidential. 2. This is the huge price the party will now have to pay for allowing its primaries in Delta state to be manipulated by Chief James Ibori, a sworn enemy of President Goodluck Jonathan, who is secretly working to promote the agenda of All Progressives Party (APC) in Delta state and humiliate Mr. President in a South South State. 3. Determined to oust President Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Ibori, hoping to take advantage of the Uvwiamuge Declaration worked for the emergence of a Delta North candidate so the Urhobos can vote against Mr. President in line with the Uvwiamuge Declaration. Not satisfied, Chief Ibori and the national leadership of APC are now lobbing UPU to prevail on Chief Great Ogboru, who is sympathetic to President Goodluck Jonathan to step down from the race so that Urhobo votes can go en bloc to APC in the presidential election which comes first. Consequently, the stage is now set for the imminent defeat of PDP by APC in the presidential elections, while the governorship is once again, in play as was the case in 2011 when the incumbent Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan struggled to win the governorship with less than 10,000 votes, votes from the riverine Itsekiri communities many considered dubious. 4. Our party is in this precarious situation because the primary which was erroneously adjudged to be free and fair was indeed anything but free and fair as the process that led to it was flawed ab initio. The flawed process allowed Chief Ibori to manipulate the nomination process from the delegate election to the primaries proper by ensuring that Senator Ifeanyi Okowas men controlled the panels that came to Delta state. 5. It was also clear that those who emerged as delegates were selected by leaders as published by the party in Vanguard newspaper of 15th November, 2015. And because the delegates were selected to do the bidding of the leaders that ensured their emergence, Chief Ibori through these leaders was able to manipulate voting on the ground of the primary to achieve a predetermined outcome that favours APC. 6. The Uvwiamuge Declaration which Ibori and his political family are now exploiting to advance APC interest in Delta state was made by the Urhobo people in good faith. It was never intended to punish President Goodluck Jonathan in any way. But the unfortunate realities on ground now indicates that, unknowingly to the UPU, those who do not wish the president well have taken advantage of it to plot his downfall by ensuring the emergence of Delta North candidate. It is this reality that the PDP must now alter, otherwise they should forget Delta State in the presidential election. 7. While the PDP leadership ponders on what to do in clearing this mess, let them be reminded that Delta Central alone accounted for over 60 percent of President Goodluck Jonathans votes in 2011 presidential election with over 800,000 votes compared to 149,000 of Delta North. The Urhobos would have improved on the 2011 performance in the forthcoming general election had PDP nominated a Delta Central person as its gubernatorial flag bearer. 8. Also be reminded that Delta Central gave President Jonathan more votes than 28 states in the 2011 election and got next to nothing in return as most of the federal appointments went to Delta North which gave the least votes to Mr. President in 2011. 9. The Urhobo nation believes in the transformation of agenda of President Goodluck Jonathan and wants him to win re-election but as a consequence of the failure of the PDP to appreciate the strategic importance of the demography and electoral value of the Urhobo people, they could now be forced to vote for the candidate of the APC, General Muhammadu Buhari in accordance with the Uvwiamuge Declaration, as a viable alternative. 10. We shall, regrettably mobilize our voting strength of about 2 million voters nationwide for the opposition parties in the presidential election where party leaders cannot manipulate the voters as was done in the PDP primaries.We shall do so not because we agree with Chief Ibori who have orchestrated this grand conspiracy against Mr. President in the PDP primary, but because it is unacceptable to the Urhobo people for PDP to consistently undermine the interest of the Urhobo nation. The Urhobo people are also very disappointed that the Ijaws voted against the UPU endorsed candidate, Olorogun David Edevbie and it is hard to see how they can be persuaded to vote for President Jonathan. 11. To avert this calamity, the leadership of PDP should save the party from the impending doom and correct the injustice of retaining power in a minority tribe after 8 years of minority rule in the Delta state. The founding fathers of our great party who included the principle of zoning and power rotation in the constitution did so to win elections. They did not envisage a situation where it will be used by enemies within to cause our failure at the polls. 12. The outcome of the primary was only purely indicative of the worst process of election anchored on unfairness and non-transparency and it should be rejected in the overall interest of the party. Despite agitation for power shift, the PDP in Benue state still gave its gubernatorial ticket to the Tivs because of their huge demographic strength and voting strength. The same happened in Rivers State, where the Ikwerres who have governed for 16 years since 1999 still produced the flag bearer. The same could still be done in Delta state. 13. Should PDP allow this plot to succeed, APC will not only secure 25 percent of the votes in Delta state in the presidential election but would indeed win the plurality of the votes as it would certainly win substantial votes in all the senatorial zones, thereby dealing the president simultaneous fatal blows. The Urhobo people do not wish this to happen. So too are our Ijaw brothers in Delta South who, with their votes unknowingly aided this grand conspiracy against Mr. President during the primary. We want the President to win second term, hence this warning to the leadership of our great party. SHINE YOUR EYES, Mr President. The ball is in your court. 13. Once again, we state unequivocally that on UVWIAMUGE DECLARATION, we the Urhobo people stand. No one should doubt our resolve. SIGNED Dr. Wilson Omene Chairman, Urhobo Mandate Group, Former Chairman, Ethiope West LGA and a PDP Chieftain.
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 10:58:49 +0000
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