Ahead of the 2023 governorship elections, the immediate past governor of Delta State, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has profusely pleaded with Urhobo and Ijaw nationalities in the state not to heat up the polity as they lobby for the governorship slot.
The Itsekiri-born medical doctor made the plea on Saturday while playing host to Urhobo and Ijaw governorship lobby groups who had visited him on consultations in respect of who produces the governorship candidate ahead of 2023.
One of the groups, the Delta Ijaw 4 Governor 2023, led by former Minister of State for Police Affairs, Alaowei Broderick Bozimo, who arrived Uduaghan’s Warri residence in the early hours of the day, traced the cordial relationship between the Ijaws and Itsekiris from time immemorial.
Bozimo, who averred that the Itsekiris and Ijaws are akin to hair and skin, disclosed to Uduaghan the identity of governors aspirants from Ijaw nation whom he described as “volunteers” for the governorship.
“So far, we have three volunteers for the governorship from Ijaw nation. We have the deputy governor, Dcn. Kingsley Otuaro Esq, Sen. James Manager and Mr Bradus Angozi”, he disclosed.
Representing the Urhobo nationality in the consultation are Presidents-General of the 24 kingdoms in Urhobo nation and executives of their sociocultural organisation, Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) Worldwide.
The group, during its visit, commended Uduaghan for his contributions to the development of the state while in the saddle as governor for eight years.
The Urhobo lobby group, led by the UPU first Vice President-General, Capt Anthony Onoharigho, appealed to Uduaghan, as a Delta South leader, to add his voice to the calls for power shift to Delta Central in 2023.
It maintained that Uduaghan’s leadership roles in the state, and more particularly in Delta South, could not be wished away.
Meanwhile, while responding to the two lobby groups, Dr Uduaghan advised the Ijaw delegation keep the peace in their quest as well as prune down the number of aspirants to one.
“The three names you mentioned to us are very capable hands and are well known to us, but I will advise that Ijaw nation should try and trim the number of those contesting to one so as to make your cause easy.
“As Itsekiri people, we will discuss amongst ourselves and give you a response in due course. We Itsekiris also have a request to make too.
“We do not want this state to heat up again because of 2023. Political crises are very difficult to manage.
“The most important take-home from the last general election, for me, was the opportunity to campaign in Ijaw villages and my Ijaw opponent also having the opportunity to campaign in Itsekiri areas too,” he enthused.
Uduaghan used the opportunity to clear the air regarding his relationship with Chief Edwin Clark, saying “I am not quarreling with Chief E.K Clark. Chief is my father. He criticizes me a lot, but I do not and have never responded to him because he is an elder statesman.
“As an Itsekiri man, I was raised to have great respect for my elders and that has been my relationship with him.
“God has a reason for putting the Itsekiris and Ijaws in the same environment. The Ijaws and Itsekiris must work together to achieve great things together.”
In his response to the Urhobo delegation, the former governor advised the team to be peaceful in its quest for the governorship slot since neither Delta South nor Delta Central could do without the other in political arithmetic.
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