2019: It’s time for Manager, Uduaghan to support my senatorial ambition ―Diden

PEOPLE’s Democratic Party (PDP) aspirant to the Delta South Senatorial district, Prince Michael Diden, has stated that he had supported Senator James Manager and former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan to realise their dreams, and it’s now time for the duo to also support him to the Senate.

Prince Diden, popularly known across Delta State as Ejele, made the disclosure on Monday during a no-holds-barred interaction with journalists across Delta State in his country home, Koko, Warri North Local Government Area.

Ejele, who’s the current Chief Whip in the Delta State House of Assembly, was reacting to an allegation that he was not responding to calls from former Governor Uduaghan for them to meet and reach a compromise on who should step down for the other in their battle for the red chambers.

He said the allegation was true in that he would not want to discuss with Uduaghan alone without the presence of at least four witnesses from both sides in order to avoid misrepresentation.

He said he had great, since the days of James Ibori, supported Senator Manager to become senator four times and Dr Uduaghan to emerge as commissioner, secretary to state government and governor, twice.

The Itsekiri-born prince, considered by many as a hard nut to crack, said it was, therefore, time for the duo to also lift up his hand to clinch the senatorial seat since one good turn deserves another.

“It is true that at a particular time, he (Uduaghan) asked me to meet him in Abuja, but I did not go.

“Sometimes if you do such politics alone, you’ll have many questions to answer.

“So, I wanted a situation where he’ll say ‘if you’re coming, come with about two or three persons’ while he also gets ready with four persons.

“But in a situation whereby himself and myself alone will be sitting down and our discussion is later misinterpreted, I don’t want to partake in such discussion, ” Hon Diden, who’s currently a member of the Delta State House of Assembly, disclosed.

TribuneOnline reports that Senator Manager, from Ijaw ethnic stock, is rounding off his fourth term in the Red Chambers, while Dr Uduaghan had been commissioner and SSG under former Governor James Ibori before he later enjoyed eight years as governor.

These feats of the duo, Ejele asserted, did not come without his sacrificial inputs, which he said, should now be reciprocated by the two elders just the way biblical Aaron and other elders of Israel supported the hand of Moses to conquer their enemies.

“I’ve supported these two ‘young men’: I’ve supported James Manager four times to become senator free of charge as a loyal servant; I supported Uduaghan from the position of commissioner to SSG to governor; is it not befitting for them to support me only once?

“And besides, in this case, the two of them are Aaron’s and I’m Moses. They should carry my hand up. I’m not against meeting Uduaghan. But if we must meet, each person should come with four persons as witnesses to discuss how he’ll step down for me,” Ejele enthused.

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The founder and general overseer of Mega Praise Ministry Int’l, promised to revisit the case of neglected Koko and Warri ports and other pursue projects that’ll benefit people of his district if elected into office.

He denied rumours that he’s being sponsored by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to ‘spoil’ the bright chances of Uduaghan, saying “the gov is not sponsoring me, I’m running my own race to represent their interests.”

The contest for the Delta South Senatorial district ticket under the PDP is among Dr Uduaghan, House of Representatives member in the aborted Second Republic, Chief (Hon.) Olivia Agbajoh; former Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. J.F.K Omatsone and current Chief Whip of Delta State House of Assembly, Hon. Michael Diden (a.k.a Ejele).