BARELY a month to the 2015 general elections, has Urhobo nation’s determination at regaining governorship of Delta state suffered another major setback as alleged partisan divisions rock the ethnic group’s apex leadership organ, the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU).
The bone of contention is alleged attempts by Chief Joe Omene, President General (PG) of the UPU to subvert “Uvwiamuge Declaration”, a 2014 oath sworn to by all Urhobo interest groups to cast the over one million bloc vote of the Delta majority ethnic group to the All Progressives Congress (APC) at all levels in the coming elections should the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) fail to give its Delta guber ticket to an Urhobo.
Following the death of Gen. Patrick Aziza, immediate past PG of the UPU under whose leadership, Urhobo swore to Ovwiamughe Declaration, his successor, Chief Joe Omene cast the first threat to the declaration when he indicated that Urhobo could support Chief Great Ogboru, Labour Party’s flag bearer for the Delta state governorship weeks after assuring The APC candidate, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, full support in absence of an Urhobo PDP ticket
Deliberations last Sunday by the UPU stakeholders at Mosogar, Ethiope East council area towards fielding a single Urhobo candidate in line with Ovwiamughe Declaration ended abruptly as majority executives rose against Chief Omene’s pressure on Urhobo to support the PDP in the coming election even after failing to give its Delta guber ticket to an Urhobo.
It was alleged, at the truncated meeting, that majority UPU executives bent on actualising the original Uvwiamuge Declaration insisted that Olorogun Emerhor of APC be adopted as Urhobo consensus gubernatorial candidate for the election following in the failure of a PDP ticket.
An ensuing argument at the closed door meeting, it was further gathered, forced premature adjournment of the meeting with a resolution to table the matter before Urhobo Council of Traditional Rulers, the Youth and Women wings for ratification.
An executive member who spoke in an interview but pleaded anonymity said, “majority executives agreed in a voice vote at the meeting that to on Ovwiamughe Declaration we stand and in that spirit, drastic decision must be taken to checkmate the unbecoming attitude of the PG.”
It would recalled that some Urhobo have earlier called for the resignation and or removal of Chief Joe Omene as President General of the UPU following his recent visit to the Abuja and romance with the Presidency where he reportedly declared to lead Urhobo’s support for President Jonathan in February election.
Justice Otitiri, a political analyst said, “In Omene, Urhobo must now know we have a PDP mole as UPU PG. I doubted his R edi biliary after Aziza’s death. The reality is stirring us in the face now.
“Omene has been leading UPU’s suspension of the Amoris, Magages, and other Urhobos for supporting Anioma governorship and the PDP. Now he is the one trying to truncate the collective decision Urhobo has made on the utter of his selfish path with President Jonathan. He should honour ably resign or be dismissed as UPU PG.”
Meanwhile, National Vice Publicity Secretary, UPU, Alhaji Mumakai-Unagha who was at Sunday’s meeting said, “I am very surprised by this confusion of a U-turn being promoted by some of us. Urhobos must not be deceived that President is willing to support Urhobo governorship through Labour Party.
“If he is interested in Urhobo governorship, he would supported us for the Delta PDP ticket when we wrote him six months ago. This resentful u-turn if allowed to succeed it would have long term negative consequences for the Urhobo nation.
The UPU would have lost all its credibility. Nobody would respect UPU anymore. Ovwiamughe Declaration had space for only PDP and APC. Since PDP has failed and undermined us, APC is the exclusive choice for Urhobo to support. It an oath we all, especially the UPU leadership, swore to abide. There is no going back.”
