By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South

Long awaited battle

THERE  has been bad blood between the direct past governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and his friend/brother, Senator James Manager representing Delta South senatorial district since the closing stages of his eight-year tenure in 2014 when Uduaghan signified interest to take over from the Ijaw-born senator who was rounding up his third tenure (12 years) in 2015.

Oboro

The reason was palpable; Senator Manager wanted a fourth tenure and did not believe in the power sharing arrangement, which the political leaders of the district, comprising Isoko, Ijaw, Itsekiri and Urhobo were said to have entered into.

In fact, he argued that the seat was not zoned to Ijaw when he first contested for it in 2003 and aspirants from other tribes, including Uduaghan’s Itsekiri had always contested the position with him, but he defeated them.

As a sitting governor then, Uduaghan would have used his influence to stop Manager, but he played the perfect gentleman when Ijaw militants threatened to disrupt the peace in the state if he removed Manager from power.

In point of fact, Uduaghan’s senatorial ambition set him against South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark, Senator Manager and ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo.    Clark also renewed his opposition to Uduaghan’s bid afresh when he wrote the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, this month, warning him against foisting Uduaghan on the people of Delta South senatorial district.

In quitting the race, which dragged him and Manager to Abuja where they met former President Goodluck Jonathan, the former governor told reporters at Asaba, December 2014, that he was withdrawing because the election was not a “do or die” matter and there had been ethnic tension which seemed to be “threatening peace and security in the state.”

Amori

Four years later, 2018, Senator Manager almost through with his fourth tenure, Uduaghan, claiming that it was the turn of his Itsekiri ethnic group in the unwritten power sharing arrangement, showed interest again. But his “brother” refused to step down. The intrigues and other contentions led to Uduaghan seeking a “larger space” in the rival APC.

How Uduaghan emerged

How some APC Delta South senatorial aspirants, who were once beneficiaries of Uduaghan as governor, desired to beat their former master at the primary beat imagination, but the party leadership cleared only Uduaghan for the primaries, which took place, Wednesday, at Oleh.

One of the senatorial aspirants, Chief Michael Johnny, told Saturday Vanguard, that it was injustice for the party to deprive other senatorial aspirants of their rights because of one aspirant. Chief Johnny who protested Uduaghan’s sole clearance claimed that his mandate was stolen.

In all, Uduaghan emerged as APC Delta South senatorial flag bearer by affirmation, telling the constituents: “I want to thank the people of the Delta South and they should  be assured of quality representation. By God’s grace, I will win the election. You know that in Delta, APC has never won any election. We need to come together in other to win.”

Manager shakes off Diden

The battle for PDP Delta South senatorial ticket was not a tea party for Senator Manager, but he also proved his resilience and character by defeating his closest rival, a member of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Michael Diden, an Itsekiri like Uduaghan by clinching 563 votes at the senatorial primary held in Oleh, while Diden polled 490 votes.

As a first timer in the senate race, Diden, indeed, gave Manager a good fight, but Manager also proved that he is tough. He said in his acceptance speech: “The victory is not for me, it is a victory for the PDP. Moving forward, we have an upcoming general election, so we need to have somebody like me to face the APC candidate…I congratulate my challengers, particularly the main opponent, Hon Mike Diden for putting in a very good fight but in a game like this, you have the men and you have the boys and that makes the difference.”

Charles Ufuoma Obule

No-holds-barred in 2019

Senator Manager was referring to no other one than Uduaghan as the APC candidate, there will be no- holds barred this time between them in 2019, as    they will meet face- to- face in the field. No more negotiations indoors among the power brokers, the people are now to decide.

Eveyln Oboro’s bolt from the blue

One of the shockers of the senatorial primaries in the state came from PDP in Delta Central senatorial district, where a female member of the House of Representatives,  Honourable (Barrister) Evelyn Omavowan Oboro, Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie federal constituency, elected into the House of Representatives in 2011 and re-elected in 2015, floored a chieftain of the party and tactician, Chief Ighoyota Amori and another serial senatorial/governorship aspirant, Chief Charles Obule.

Oboro, the first Urhobo female parliamentarian polled  a total of 586 votes, Amori- 486 votes and Obule –six votes to emerge winner and the party’s senatorial flag bearer for the 2019 general elections.

What made her victory shocking is that Amori is a high ranking member of the ruling Ibori political family in the state. He served as commissioner in the eight years of Ibori administration and also in the eight years of Uduaghan government. He is a prominent politician in the state. He was elected Senator in 2015 but he lost the seat to Senator Ovie Omo-Agege of APC after a tough court battle. Many expected him to naturally pick the party’s senatorial ticket this time around, but Oboro threw a bombshell.

Permutation by top members of Ibori family before the primaries was that Senator Nwaoboshi would pick the Delta North ticket, Senator Manager – Delta South and Senator Amori- Delta Central.

Director of Media in her campaign organization, Mr. Sunday Apah, told Saturday Vanguard: “The magic is that she is loved by the grassroots, the grassroots want her, people are no longer comfortable with talks of power from above or governor say this, governor say that. They no longer believe in that. They want to select whoever they want as their candidate by themselves, not imposition.”

“That is why despite all the gang-up by the leaders in Delta Central, all of them from the House of Assembly to council chairmen and councilors, the people voted against them because they wanted the person closer to them and who they feel will win in a general election,” he added.

…likely to face Senator Omo-Agege or Emerhor

Hon Oboro, a lawyer, is most likely to face Senator Omo-Agege, who she is no stranger to in the Delta Central senatorial election, next year. Though it is not certain yet, for while Omo-Agege won in a parallel senatorial primary authorized by the Prophet Jones Erue-led executive of his party in Udu, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, who also emerged winner in a parallel senatorial primary by the Chief Cyril Ogodo-led executive in Ughelli.

Peter Nwaoboshi

As it is, only the national leadership of the party can take the final decision on the authentic APC flag bearer for Delta Central. APC at the national level is expected to be more disposed to the Erue executive, having sacked the Ogodo executive sworn in by the immediate past national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, soon after Oshiomhole took over.

Earlier directive by Oshiomhole to Erue to harmonize the different factions in the state before the primaries noticeably failed, as both sides conducted parallel governorship primaries in Asaba, Erue producing Chief Great Ogboru and Ogodo producing Prof Pat Utomi.

One seat, two winners

Days after the Asaba episode, the Erue executive expelled Ogodo and his group for conducting a parallel governorship primary, Ogodo group also replied in the same measure banishing Erue and his team from the party for the same offence.

Both camps went separate ways again in the Delta Central senatorial primaries. In the Ogodo group edition,    Emerhor polled 2, 492 votes to beat Senator Omo-Agege, his only challenger, who got four votes out of a total 2, 509 accredited votes with 13 votes declared void.  Returning Officer for the Erue executive version, Major General Lawrence Onoja (retd), who pronounced Senator Omo-Agege winner, said he polled a total of 2,360  out of the 2,414  votes cast, while 54 votes were rendered invalid.

Erue fires Emerhor

The acrimony in APC,    a chip on your shoulder skirmish between Emerhor/Ogodo faction and Ogboru/Omo-Agege/Erue faction further reverberated on Wednesday when the latter cast out Emerhor from the party, accusing him of engaging in anti-party activities, citing among others the parallel senatorial primary that produced him.

Announcing Emerhor’s expulsion from the party,  Prophet Erue- led camp said the decision to expel Olorogun O’tega Emerhor from the party was unanimous during an emergency meeting of the State Working Committee of the party.

The party in the statement signed by the State Secretary, Mr Chidi Okonji said: “Olorogun O’Tega Emerhor is hereby expelled from the party with immediate effect.”

It stated: “That this expulsion becomes necessary for organizing and participating in an illegal purported primary election for the Delta Central senatorial district that took place on the 2nd of October 2018 which was conducted without the authorization and permission of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Party.

“That incontrovertible evidence in possession of the party reveals that Olorogun O’tega Emerhor engaged in the forgery of party’s election materials (ballot papers), alteration of delegate lists, falsification of nomination results and the tampering with the process of internal democracy of the Party in gross violation of the provisions of Article 21(A)i, ii, iv, vi and xi of the party’s constitution thereby bringing the party into public ridicule and disrepute.

“That the use of unauthorized forged ballot papers by Olorogun O’tega Emerhor in voting during the said purported primary is a criminal offence for which the party has forwarded a formal petition to the commissioner of police for his arrest and possible prosecution,” it added.

Ogodo sacks Omo-Agege

Countering the Erue group, the Ogodo faction that also threw out Senator Omo-Agege, said: “The decision to expel Senator Omo-Agege was taken at the end of a State Working Committee of the party APC presided over by Chief Ogodo over what they described as his “continuous anti-party activities that has remained unabated.”

The party in a statement by its legal adviser,  Dennis Nwanokwai, said: “The latest of such activities relates to the hijack of primaries panel members and materials sent from the national to conduct primaries in the state and deploying same to conduct unauthorized parallel primaries.”

“The manipulation and tampering of delegates’ lists and the use of thugs to harass and deprive authentic delegates from access to primaries venues; all that in conjunction with Prophet Jones Erue and others who have earlier been expelled from our party.

“The expulsion of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege is with immediate effect. The SWC also resolved to petition the Security services,    including the Police and DSS to arrest and prosecute Senator Omo-Agege, Prophet Jones Erue and others for impersonation and others actions calculated to breach public peace,” it stated.

Akpeki, Oboro, PDP enjoying the game

As at Thursday, APC was in total disarray in Delta Central, both Olorogun Emerhor and Senator Omo-Agege were cleared for the Delta Central senatorial primaries by the national leadership of the party.

Chief Strategist to the Delta State Government, Chief Paulinus Akpeki, Hon Oboro and PDP are happy with the development and already working on how to maximize the fallout to the advantage of their party.

Oboro/Omo-Agege confrontation on FUPRE bill

Last year, Senator Omo-Agege and Hon Oboro were embroiled in a face-off over the bill on the establishment of the Federal University of Petroleum Resources, FUPRE, Effurun, shortly after President Muhammadu Buhari assented to it.

Oboro said the bill was her “brainchild and intellectual property”, wondering why “some political dramatists,” a disguised reference to her “senior brother”, Senator Omo-Agege want to claim glory.    She confirmed that she wrote a letter to the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, alerting the Red Chamber of the plot by someone to inherit her intellectual property, a bill that had been passed by the House of Representatives.

Nwaoboshi’s edge over Nwoko

In Delta North senatorial district where incumbent Senator Peter Nwaoboshi emerged as PDP senatorial flag bearer with 506 votes, beating former House of Representatives member, Aniocha/Oshimili federal constituency, Hon Ned Nwoko, who polled 453 votes and former Commissioner, Paul Osaji – 216 votes, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta knows that his flanking opponent, Nwoko, gave him a good fight.

They were neck-to-neck in the primaries until Nwaoboshi took the lead with votes from his critical areas. Supporters of Nwoko, who felt their principal was cheated, were already complaining.

Admitting that the primaries were keenly contested, Secretary General of Senator Peter Onyelukachukwu Nwaoboshi, SPON, Campaign Organization, Philip Elueme, said: “Senator Nwaoboshi won clean and square, his politics is synonymous with the defence of the interest of Anioma people much more than that of his also very distinguished adversaries, Prince Ned Nwoko and Paul Osaji”

Elueme cautioned those crying blue murder: “Please, do not be sour loser, the greater victory belongs to Anioma people and God, and we owe it a duty to all to join hands to deepen democratic conduct. Senator Nwaoboshi remains the godfather of 21st  century Anioma identity politics.”

He said: “There were lots of money inducements in the primary but those who voted for him are the true Anioma people, who believe in his struggle for them. “