By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor
Opponents of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan’s participation in the yet to be re-scheduled gubernatorial elections in Delta State are forging fresh options to stop him.

The opposition is coming from two major flanks representing internal opponents of Uduaghan in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and his antagonists in other parties in the State. Both sides are, however, presently working at cross purposes each trying to outdo one another in the bid for the gubernatorial office.

Uduaghan’s opponents in the PDP have successfully recruited three very high ranking presidency officials including one principal official in the presidency from a neighbouring State in their bid to stop him from contesting the re-run elections.

Their major strategy is to shop for petitions which they will forward to the EFCC. The intention here is that the EFCC will then be used to arrest, embarrass and possibly truncate Dr Uduaghan’s ambition.

On the other hand, the opposition outside the PDP is seeking legal advice on the participation of Chief Ovie Omo-Agege in the re-run poll. Omo-Agege was a high ranking caucus member in the James Ibori government which paved way for the emergence of Dr. Uduaghan as governor in 2007 who recently defected from the PDP to the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN.

Omo-Agege’s supporters are seeking legal opinion from several sources including statutory institutions such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),  on his eligibility as the ACN candidate in the re-run poll on the fact that the ACN candidate in the 2007 election, Chief Peter Okocha has left the ACN and returned to the PDP.

The election which brought Dr. Uduaghan to office as governor of Delta State was annulled last Tuesday upon the ruling of the Court of Appeal in Benin that the election was marred with irregularities.

Opposition to him led by Chief Edwin Clark had immediately pledged to stop his participation in the re-run poll on the basis of alleged corruption. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) it was learnt has, however, not established a case of corruption against the former governor.

The clean bill of health from the EFCC, it was gathered, may have compelled Uduaghan’s opponents to woo the top presidency official who is known to have the ears of the President in the renewed efforts to stop Uduaghan’s participation in the re-run poll.

It was further gathered that the opposition in Delta State in cohorts with the top presidency officials are now prying through documents and shopping around for petitions with which they hope that Dr. Uduaghan could be stopped from participating in the election.

Besides the presidency official, two high level officials of the Federal Government from Delta State are believed to be equally canvassing for petitions and documents to thwart Uduaghan’s participation.

Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi, the Minister of State for Education, Vanguard learnt, is also weighing the option of participating in the re-run poll on the ticket of the PDP if Uduaghan is stopped. Gbagi is one of the focal points of the opposition to Uduaghan..

Meanwhile, in yet another option, local opponents of Dr. Uduaghan are also seeking the collaboration of erstwhile aide of Chief James Ibori, Omo-Agege in the plot to stop the former governor from returning to Government House, Asaba.

The opponents Vanguard learnt are seeking legal interpretation to the rule which presently limits participation in re-run elections to only those that participated in the main election.

In the face of the entreaties, Omo-Agege who decamped from the PDP to the ACN penultimate week may have thrown his hat into the ring.

“Omo-Agege is contesting the re-run election,” one source confided at the yesterday even though the ACN chieftain did not participate in the main election.

The ACN candidate in the 2007 guber election earlier this year decamped from the ACN to the PDP.

“We already have a precedence from the Amaechi case where it was proved that parties contest elections and not individuals and since we don’t have a candidate, we must partake in the election through Omo-Agege,” a party source told Vanguard at the weekend.

President Goodluck Jonathan and the national chairman of the PDP, Dr. Okwesileze Nwodo are believed to have thrown their support for Uduaghan as the PDP candidate in the re-run poll which is yet to be scheduled.