BY MICHAEL TIDI

The  2015 gubernatorial election in Delta State is gathering momentum as political gladiators reach out to stakeholders to make their intentions known.

One  aspirant  not  leaving any stone unturned to take over the mantle of governorship is  ANTHONY CHUCKS OBUH, who hail from Ika South L.G.A.

The battle for the Asaba Government House promises to  be interesting and laced with intrigues given that the bulk  of the aspirants are in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and had at different times worked closely with one another.
The implication is that members of the  PDP are no strangers to themselves.

One of the distinguishing factors in  the  contest is the vigor  which OBUH has brought to bear  on his campaign. He embarked on  door-to-door canvassing, thus covering all the nooks and crannies of the state.

OBUH has positioned himself for the election with the emergence of  support groups cutting across Delta’s  25 LGAs  while  involving himself in  political and non-political ventures to  win the electorate.

A statement by Chief Ayiri Emami, convener of one of his support groups – DELTA UNITED FOR TONY OBUH – said  “their endorsement was informed by the belief that OBUH would push forward Governor Uduaghan’s transformation agenda.’’

While several stakeholders point to his academic background, others are projecting him on account of his grassroots reach and popular appeal amongst  the aged and the youths in the three senatorial districts of the state.

OBUH,  an alumnus of the University of Ibadan, started his civil service career in 1982. He  rose from the position of Administrative Officer through being Assistant Secretary I and II to Senior Assistant Secretary from 1982  to 1991. He  honed  his administrative sagacity when he was elevated  from the position of Principal Assistant Personnel Officer to Director of Personnel Management in the Governor’s Office (Directorate of Administration) from 1992 to 1995. The upscale of his professional development in the civil service came when he was severally elevated in the Ministry of Finance through the position of Director of Investment and Loans; Director, Planning, Research and Statistics; Acting Chairman, Bendel Insurance Company Limited; Acting Chairman, UIDC and Alternate Director, PAMOL Industry Limited from 1995 to 1998. He also served briefly as Assistant Director in the Office of the Secretary to the State Government in 1999, and then moved to Delta Transport Service as Acting General Manager from 1999 to 2000. Thereafter, he was re-posted to the Governor’s Office as Director from 2000 to 2006.

Among the credentials  OBUH is bringing to the Delta 2015 race  is that  since  2006,  he has functioned at the top level of the Delta bureacracy.  He has been Director, Office of the Secretary to the State Government; Permanent Secretary Office of the Secretary to the State Government, and Permanent Secretary, Directorate of Government house and Protocol.  Obuh has several awards both from national and international organizations.

Those impressed by his grassroots credentials point to the fact that he is one of the noble officers that have rendered immeasurable contributions to the political stability of the state. He is one of those who worked behind the scene to make the Delta  that we all crave to have.  Since 1999, the aspirant has  been part of the mainstream political family in the state.

Many of those promoting him as Uduaghan’s successor equally point to the fact that his humble disposition, academic background, intellectual orientation, political philosophy and youth and women empowerment agenda, place him in a perfect position for the translation of government aspiration into  doable actions.

OBUH, on his part, is full of praises for President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformational agenda. He also believes  Governor Uduaghan is providing the right leadership and his economic team is doing an excellent job in making Delta  an economic hub in the country.

*TIDI, a Principal Investigator in Political Fact-Finding Forum, lives in  Warri.