By Emma Amaize , Regional Editor, South-South
Any hope of altering the long history of discord in the Delta State chapter of the PDP was far fetched last weekend at the end of the state congress.

Former Minister of State for Education and arrow-head of the Edwin Clark group, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi told Vanguard, “There was no state congress by PDP, what happened is a charade and  I can tell you that people have not learnt their lessons up till now”.

Indeed, the congress had ended on a bitter-sweet note for the Chief Edwin Clark faction as some elements in the group were integrated into the mainstream structure leaving out some others who are now crying blue murder against the mainstream and against some of their one time colleagues in the struggle.

Gov Uduaghan

As Prince Abugo the media adviser to Chief Clark told Vanguard, “I can tell you categorically that we are not happy, we have contacted our leader, Chief Clark on what happened”.

But the Director General of the PDP Election Campaign in 2011 and presently, Commissioner for Housing, Chief Paulinus Akpeki said, “It ended well, we don’t have factions in PDP anymore. It was a very successful election”.

Abugo, however, absolved Governor Uduaghan of any blame saying, “What happened is terrible, but from what I saw, it is not good to lie, Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan showed that he is sincere about reconciliation and harmonization. The governor actually wants peace, but the idea of oppression is being promoted by those who do not want peace in the party”.

Vanguard learnt that some party positions were zoned to Chief Clark and he directed that list of members of his group from Delta Central Senatorial District should be compiled by Chief Godwin Ogbetuo and be submitted to the governor through Alhaji  Isa Clark, while that of Delta South Senatorial District should pass through the Minister of Niger-Delta, Elder Godsday Orubebe and Dr. Cairo Ojuigboh for Delta North Senatorial District.

Abugo said that only members of Clark group that are loyal to Elder Orubebe made the list that was submitted to the governor, adding that the list was altered to favour those in Orubebe’s sub-group within the Clark faction.

He said that the role Elder Orubebe in the entire episode had been reported to Chief Clark and the members were waiting for him to address the issues when he returns.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State was however, stunned to hear penultimate weekend of a fresh rumpus between his associates and those of Chief Edwin Clark.

“I will not do anything that will upset the peace process in PDP in the state. There is no problem between me and Chief Clark, we have resolved and the harmonization process is on, it has not broken down as you (reporter) said they have told you”.

Noting that those fanning the embers of discord were mainly members of the Clark group with membership of the rival Democratic People’s Party, DPP,  Uduaghan singled out Chief Godwin Ogbetuo the chairman of the Delta Elders, Leaders and Stakeholders Forum, DELSF, for instigating the crisis within the PDP family even though according to him the said Ogbetuo had drifted away from the party. These are mainly people from the E.K Clark group, who are not in PDP,  but Democratic People’s Party, DPP, and have refused to join the PDP properly”.

Referring to Ogbetuo, he said “He never attended any of the PDP leaders’ meeting held in Asaba and Warri. The agreement was for everyone to go for his or her ward for the ward congress. They refused to go. Instead, they kept calling Chief E.K. Clark, who is in the United Kingdom and feeding him with lies.

“The minister (Orubebe) and I, to the knowledge of the national secretariat have been deeply involved in bringing normalcy to the party and these non-party members cannot derail us”, he asserted.

The said crisis arose after a meeting of the members of the PDP faction loyal to Clark where they refuted news reports first reported by Vanguard that the Clark and Uduaghan factions were now forging unity after years of acrimony.

Central to the unity it was learnt was the harmonization of structures during the  congresses of the party. But at the end of the meeting of the Clark group after the ward and local government congresses, the group accused Uduaghan, his deputy, Prof Amos Utuama, former Minister of Information, Prof Sam Oyovbaire and others of turning the harmonization process to a master –servant affair.

They alleged that there was indeed no harmonization in the State PDP.

The Clark group, which has former Minister of State for Education, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi as coordinator for Delta Central Senatorial District, Minister of Niger-Delta, Elder Godsday Orubebe for Delta South and Dr. Cairo Ojuogboh for Delta North, said that despite Clark’s outstretched hand of fellowship, the members of the Clark group were treated “shabbily as if there are first class and second class citizens in PDP”.

Gbagi refuting Governor Uduaghan’s denial of schism said that the deputy Governor, Prof. Amos Utuma had so far made it impossible for the two groups to harmonise in the Delta Central.

The former minister stated Dr. Uduaghan personally called him and the deputy governor, Utuama and urged them to work together to  avert trouble in the Central senatorial district. He, however, observed that his efforts to get the deputy governor to harmonize the interest of both factions, 50-50, as agreed, failed.

According to him, he was taken aback when he called Uduaghan to notify him that the deputy governor was not being faithful to the agreement, only to hear that the state chairman of the party, Chief Peter Nwaoboshi, Mr. Sam Osasa and   the state’s Commissioner on the Niger-Delta Development Commission, NDDC, board, Chief Solomon Ogba, had been selected to liaise with the national leadership of the party to harmonize the list from Delta list.

“It is then it dawned on me that some people are playing on our intelligence. How can they be talking about harmonizing list when we that are coordinators from our senatorial districts are not aware of what is to be harmonized? In the first instance, I asked the governor, how can three persons be going to Abuja to harmonize matters without an Urhobo person in the team, this is wrong”, he said.

Wounded lion: Chief Ogbetuo, who corroborated Gbagi’s claims, said Clark told him what was going on in the name of reconciliation and harmonization was a charade and he was going to fight like a wounded lion when he comes back.

In the meantime, he said the elder statesman had directed all leaders of the party at the ward and local government levels to submit list of members for the various positions to the senatorial leadership for appropriate action when he returns. The list was expected to have been submitted by March 15.

Clark group has broken into two— Oberabor

However, a member of the Board of Trustees of Chief Edwin Clark Foundation and former member of the Board of Directors of Delta State Health Management Board, Dr. Mike Oberabor, however, asserted that those alleging marginalization have lost their essence.

“On the reconciliation process of Delta PDP, Chief Edwin Clark and Uduaghan are on the same page. The Clark group has broken into two. One group is in the mainstream while the other has no relevance”.

Uduaghan lied – Ogbetuo

Chief Ogbetuo, who took umbrage at the governor’s earlier remark  that he was not a bonafide PDP member retorted, that the governor lied against him..

He said he is a founding member of the party and because of lack of internal democracy, imposition of candidates and problems that emanated from the 2007 Governorship primaries, “I joined forces with my national leader, Chief (Dr.) E.K Clark in 2007 to redress this injustice and return the party back to the people as the name of our party indicate.

I have been with my leader, Chief E.K. Clark in all decisions reached, including supporting Chief Great Ogboru in 2011 Governorship election and President Jonathan during the presidential polls. In all these decisions I remained a member of PDP under Clark’s faction leadership”, he said.

Ogbetuo said, “The Governor knows that there are two factions in Delta State P.D.P. as a result of the 2007 Ogwashi –Uku Governorship Primaries and non conduct of ward congresses in 2007”.

Ogbetuo is not a PDP member – Oberabor

But Dr. Oberabor took up the defence for Uduaghan, saying, “Ogbetuo is not a member of PDP, he is the chairman of Delta Elders and was not present at the PDP meeting in Asaba and Warri.

Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi was in Asaba meeting and actually said the closing prayers”.

According to him, “Clark and Uduaghan are reconciled on all fronts. That faction that held the meeting is completely dead, they have no agenda, Ogbetuo cannot ride on the back of the gubernatorial candidate of Democratic People’s Party, DPP, and Chief Great Ogboru back to the PDP

Clark, Uduaghan move to extinguish tension

As at Monday, two days after the fresh face-off broke open; there were indications of high –capacity moves by Chief Clark and Governor Uduaghan to douse the uneasiness among their men. Vanguard learnt that following a phone discussion with Clark, the elder statesman told the governor to call a meeting of both sides in the interest of the party.

The governor confirmed to Vanguard that he spoke to Chief Clark on the development and after listening to him, the elder statesman requested that he should convene a peace meeting of both groups to harmonize the areas of dispute.

Nothing has changed

Olorogun Gbagi, however, told Vanguard, “Nothing has changed; the issue of reconciliation is not one side dominating the other. Anybody who has been following the politics of the state will know that what E.K. Clark offered is a genuine political initiative, it is left for the governor to reciprocate in the interest of the party”.

“If you want to know, what Clark told me that he told him is that the governor’s group should sit down with his own group, comprising me (Gbagi), in charge of Delta Central Senatorial District, Minister of Niger-Delta, Elder Godsday Orubebe- Delta South Senatorial District and Dr. Cairo Ojuogboh- Delta North Senatorial District to look into the problems and resolve them in the interest of the party”, he said.