Delta State Governor Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa may have been sworn-in as the fourth democratically elected governor of Delta State, in fact, the first from Delta North, to occupy the Unity House, in Asaba, but the All Progressives Congress (APC) is not prepared to give him a free ride.

By Hugo Odiogor

Nothing best demonstrates this resolve as the continuing mobilisation by the APC to recruit disaffected members of the PDP into its fold. Among former prominent members of the PDP recruited so far are Chief Solomon Edojah, a former chairman of the PDP Caretaker Committee in Kwara State, Hon. Almona Isei, a former three term member of the House of Representatives among others.

The national leadership of the party is also alleged to be mobilising men and resources for its men on ground to establish an effective presence in the entire state and mount formidable opposition to the ruling PDP government.

However, the APC in Delta State is effectively snared by the internal contradictions in the aspiration of its leading lights. While the national leadership is unwavering in its support for the 2015 gubernatorial candidate, Olorogun Otega Emerhor, to pursue the battle to reclaim “his mandate through all legal means,” a number of party leaders uncomfortable with his manner of entry into the party have remained aloof.

Okowa

The dissonance within the party peaked two months ago when a section of the party expelled some of the leading figures in the party, a development that shocked national leaders of the party. Remarkably, the state chairman Prophet Jones Erue who purportedly signed the announcement came out to deny the expulsion. The development was immediately linked to the quest by especially new entrants for reckoning in the expected appointments that are to come the way of the state chapter of the party.

The national leadership is not amused by the intrigues that are playing out as APC members from Delta State jostle for political appointments in Abuja even though the party performed poorly in the last governorship election.

It was perhaps that development that spurred some sympathisers of the party who christened themselves APC Professionals to a meeting on Friday, June 5, 2015 where they resolved to play politics with integrity and professionalism. The body resolved to be the positive agent of change in line with the party’s objectives and to act as professionals that will be a positive force to move the party forward in Delta State.

In the resolution made available to Vanguard, the APC professionals equally resolved to work with all the party stakeholders to achieve the party’s objectives.

The chairman of the Group, Dr. Ken Mordi said the national executive of the APC has given very clear directives that Delta state APC should put its house in order.

The co-ordinator of Delta State APC professionals Dr. Chris Ugoh, said that the time has come to re-position the party in the state to give PDP a formidable opposition in the build-up to 2019 election. Dr. Ugoh said that while it is gratifying to know that an Anioma son is governor, that that would not undermine the need for viable opposition in the state, to keep PDP on its toes.

The obstacles

But there are obstacles that the party must surmount if it must achieve its stated goals. The first is the structure and style of leadership of APC in Delta State.

Emerhor

A chieftain of the party in Delta North Engr. Hyacinth Enuha said “APC in Delta State is standing on a tripod which has one of its leg in the North the Second in the South and the third in the central and each of the zones had three notable leaders. In the South we have Chief Okpozo in the central there is Chief Frank Kokori while in the North we have Engineer Enuha.

There is also discontent that a socio cultural association in the state was given so much latitude in the run up to the governorship election, thereby provoking resentments from other cultural sensibilities in the state.

At another meeting of the Anioma APC Leaders Forum held at Chief Engr. Hyacinth Enuha’s Country home in Ogwashi-Uku, Delta State, on Sunday the 7th of June, 2015, the Leaders Forum resolved to bring all the APC members in Delta State, together, resolve their differences and speak with one voice.

The entire forum also reaffirmed their confidence on the leadership of Chief Engr. Hyacinth Enuha as the APC Leader of the entire Delta North and they all further pledged to fully support Enuha’s leadership and also the need to continue to co-operate with all the other Leaders in the other Senatorial zones, namely; Chief Frank Kokori of Delta Central and Senator Francis Okpozo and Temi Harriman of Delta South.

Engr. Enuha said the old members of APC have no reason to fear the admission of new members once the procedure for admitting such new members is made seamless.

Dr Ugoh told Vanguard that he supports the idea that Anioma people should be fully represented and effective in all the existing political parties and all the parties must give Anioma people their fair share as Nigerians.