As politicians gingerly await on INEC to announce guidelines for 2015 elections, the political space is  agog with activities with aspirants striving to gain vantage positions preparatory to their party primaries.

In this frenzied atmosphere a lot of shenanigans are manifesting, polluting the otherwise healthy air in the atmosphere that people should ordinarily breathe. Understandably, securing the people’s mandate at any level of political representation must not be taken for granted.

In Delta State for example, massive interest is being shown on who succeeds Governor Uduaghan come 2015. Gladiators are parading their credentials. This development ordinarily should be applauded, for as they say in local parlance “the more, the merrier”.

But the worrisome trend. is the false claim that the position of  the governor of the state has been zoned to  Delta North. This was quickly followed by a more devastating rumour that an aspirant from that zone has been anointed.

Anointed by whom? Which individual or group is attempting to usurp the verdict of nomination delegates in  what should be a democratic process? As all can attest to, records are clear that there has never been zoning in the choice of a governorship candidate in the PDP in Delta State at any point in time since 1999.

Both Governors James Ibori and Emmanuel Uduaghan, who were elected on the platform of the party, were challenged at the primaries by aspirants outside their senatorial districts, without let or hindrance in an open, free contest. Those now canvassing zoning as part of their qualification for the governorship of Delta  are only trying to distort facts of events for expediency in their pursuit of shadows of fantasy.

Since the advent of this democratic dispensation, there is no evidence of marginalization of the people of the Delta North, both at the state and  federal levels in terms of appointments and physical development. Rather the zone has benefited in very awesome ways.

Asaba, the state capital, which is at the tip of the state, is far removed from the core Delta State as it is; indeed it was never a part of the Warri province that metamorphosed into the present Delta. It was through a military fiat, not on the basis of geography, historical or political imperatives, that Asaba emerged.

A state capital is permanent; it is a creation of law, and it remains so until the law is amended, while the governor of a state changes in response to the vagaries of democratic forces. In spite of the stupendous benefits accruing to Asaba, other zones are at peace with it; they are not grumbling.

At times like these when gladiators are jostling for visibility, it is pertinent to take a sober reflection, to advise ourselves against the politics of regression, against the self-defeating strategy of playing the politics of entitlement. There is no short-cut route that leads to the Government House; we should not make attempts at devising alternatives to free and transparent primaries. In the state, everybody needs each other to succeed and should allow democratic process to proceed unfettered.

In the congested political space, a clear front runner is gradually emerging among the PDP governorship aspirants in the person of Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege. He has traversed the length and breadth of the state, from one village to the other, covering all the LGAs. This aspirant has consulted widely from ward to ward, selling his governorship ambition to the elders and plethora of other stakeholders.

While consultation by itself is not a novel strategy, what distinguishes Ovie Omo-Agege brand of politics from most of the others is that he is an unrepentant believer in the politics of engagement, consensus building and inclusion.

Pan Delta mindset is the philosophy propelling his aspiration, to be accepted and understood as a political citizen of every ward in every LGA across the 25 LGAs in the state, so as to empathise with the people in their native habitat. This strategy of reaching out is in tandem with the spirit of PDP, underscored in its constitution, as a family party with equal opportunities for members to realize their ambition under the large umbrella that provides shelter for all.

Unlike some of his colleagues, Ovie Omo-Agege is not seeking for special favours to clinch the ticket, no recourse to zone or godfather – he relies on the delegates to transparently vote for the aspirant most suitable for the job.

His governorship quest is not based on North, Central or South divide; it is not a function of where he comes from or the language that he speaks, but over time he has thought deeply about the realities on ground, to come up with a master plan to cope with emerging challenges.

He has demonstrated passion for service, the capacity to shoulder state-wide responsibilities and ability to deliver on them. He has proved to be a prepared aspirant anxious to move Uduaghan’s legacies a notch higher.

He finds inspiration in his dream, uses it as an inspiration to action and co-ordinates it with reason and perception; he is the one that reached out and caught the distant horizon by one hand and the immediate with the other and he is bringing the two together.

Joe Agbrolives in Warri, Delta State.