The directive to outgoing governors and those seeking elective offices on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, by President Goodluck Jonathan to field popular candidates has been commended by the Urhobo in Delta Central senatorial zone of Delta State.

The group, under the aegis of Urhobo Mandate Group, UMG, in a letter to President Jonathan, copied to the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’Azu and signed by its National Coordinator and Secretary, Chief John Umukoro and Mr. Odafe Unuata, insisted that if PDP must retain the state, Urhobo governorship ticket was the answer.

The group said President Jonathan had shown his readiness to conduct free and fair election next year, noting that Nigerians were wiser now as they had resolved to vote for credible people in next year’s general elections.

This he said Jonathan realized when he advised outgoing PDP governors to field credible and popular candidates. He explained that many politicians and ethnic groups in the state have gone to town with vicious propagandas to stand the truth on the head so as to achieve their selfish interests saying, it is clear that many of these people who are pushing zoning and other spurious agenda at the expense of fielding credible and popular candidates from areas of high voting strength are not interested in victory of PDP in the forthcoming governorship election. Umukoro said, Urhobo with about 1.7 million population and over 824,000 votes larger than the two senatorial zones put together, cannot be undermined and warned that any attempt by the ruling party leadership in Delta to manipulate the governorship primaries may cost PDP victory in if the ticket goes to any of these zones.

UMG, frowned at exponents of zoning as they asked, if indeed there is zoning formula agreed to and known to all the stakeholders of PDP in the state, why then should so many aspirants aggressively compete for the governorship ticket at each point time?

The group noted that Urhobo like other ethnic groups in Delta, considered the zoning and equity slogan taunted by some persons in the state as bait devised by a selfish few to perpetuated themselves in power by all means. UMG commended Jonathan for sharing the same view with them and called on Mr. President to ensure that Delta State PDP adhere to his directive and field Urhobo person as the party candidate for the governorship election in 2015.