By Emmanuel Aziken
LAGOS—ETHNIC sentiments by the majority Urhobo population in Delta State will not stop the election of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate in the fresh gubernatorial election, the Delta State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chief Paulinus Akpeki has said.

Akpeki in a session with newsmen in Lagos equally traced challenges to Dr. Uduaghan to his refusal to carry out the politics of settlement during his disqualified stay as Governor of Delta State.

He equally rebuffed claims of fraudulent execution of contracts alleging a campaign of disinformation by political opponents of Dr. Uduaghan to smear him.

Akpeki, a seasoned political operative said: “If we say that Urhobos will win because we are majority I think it is doubtful because the other two senatorial districts are also hell bent on saying that power has shifted and it will shift. So, on that premise, the PDP as a political party must deliver Uduaghan in the other two senatorial districts in the North and South.

“The Urhobos have eight local governments and I can confidently and comfortably say that these eight local governments that nobody can claim or say that they will all vote for any Urhobo candidate.

I start by saying that by the grace of God Sapele where I come from will vote Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan. Okpe local government will vote Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan.

“I know that the Urhobos will vote Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan. It is not just fair to say that the Urhobos will do this, Urhobos will do that.”

While playing down the chances of Chief Ovie Omo_Agege, one of the prominent Urhobos bidding to contest the election, he said: “I venture to say that my friend and brother, Ovie Omo_Agege is not a threat and I stand to say it and he knows it. For when he had the backing of more of the Urhobos, he couldn’t make it at Ogwashi-Ukwu, much less now that he does not have the backing of the Urhobos.

I throw my hat into the ring if Ovie Omo-Agege even wins two local governments in Urhobo land I will quit politics.”

Democracy dividends

Affirming Dr. Uduaghan’s problems to be his refusal to carry out politics as usual, he said: “They talk about democracy dividends, but is it lining up your pockets that is democracy dividends? ‘We dey hungry o’  Because this money has not come to you to share? Uduaghan said no, it cannot be business as usual, we must do something to show for it. It is not true that infrastructure development has not been done.”

In rebuffing insinuations of fraudulent execution of contracts, he noted the financial outlay of the state government which he said constrained the Uduaghan administration.
“Here is a state for instance that has N9 billion as allocation for the month. Prior to the minimum wage increase, Delta State paid N5.6 billion every month as salaries.

Every month, Delta State gives N2.5 billion to DESOPADEC which is supposed to be an interventionist agency. Left with N1 billion, and it is this N1 bill that will be used to service.”