By Our Correspondent,
Rising from a brain-storming meeting focused on the way forward for 2015 governorship election in Delta State, the national executive council of Agbon Peace and Economic Transformation Initiative (APETRI) has called on the President of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), General Patrick Aziza (Rtd) to work closely with Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and other major stakeholders to ensure a smooth transition of political power in the state come May 29, 2015.
APETRI in a communiqué signed by its National President, Dr. Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, said the UPU Uvbiamuge Declaration which is to the effect that only an Urhobo indigene would be supported and voted for by the ethnic nationality during the next gubernatorial elections requires modification because of the fact that the declaration is capable of creating ethnic rivalry and insecurity if necessary measures were not crafted to diplomatically manage the political situation.
The group stated that “It has come to our notice that the UPU through the instrumentality of Uvbiamuge Declaration urged all sons and daughters of Urhobo ethnic nationality to rally round only Urhobo gubernatorial candidate sponsored by either the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or the All Progressive Congress (APC). After critical analysis as per immediate and long term consequence of this delicate decision we came to the conclusion that the core ingredients of the Uvbiamuge declaration is in conflict with civilized democratic principles and therefore capable of breeding bad blood between the Urhobo nation and our dear brothers and sisters in Anioma Delta North”.
“The declaration amounts to a serious attack on individual freedom of association which is capable of coercing a fragile segment of the people and/or corrupt their sense of judgment in the process of exercising their franchise. We therefore call on our father, great leader and President General of UPU, General Patrick Aziza and members of his executives to immediately commence negotiations with the State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and all the governorship aspirants on how to present a credible and popular candidate that has the intellectual capacity and cool-headedness to pilot the affairs of the state from 2015 upward.”
Dr Oghenesivbe further asserted that tribal politics is part of the insecurity problems that we are confronting today as a nation and it behooves on all progressive and liberal minds to shun any political action or decision that would further create tension, hatred and political crisis in any part of the country. He said APETRI consider it very necessary for there to be a level playing ground for all the aspirants in line with civilized democratic principles to the extent that the election should be issues based, critical examination of the pedigree of candidates, moral disposition and previous track records of the aspirants rather than ethnicity, egotism, oppressive tendencies and such other repugnant vices capable of creating bitterness and division in Delta State.
APATRI, he said, is of the opinion that it will not be a bad idea if power is shared in love among the major ethnic nationalities comprising the Ijaw, Itsekiri, Urhobo, Isoko and Anioma, such that at the nick of time each is allowed to produce the governor but with balanced political portfolio in the state executive council coupled with deliberate spread of economic and infrastructural developments across the state. He noted that of the three executive governors produced so far in the state, two are from the Urhobo axis (Chief Felix Ibru and Chief James Ibori) while the incumbent Governor, Dr. Emmaunuel Uduaghan is from the Itsekiri extraction which is why APATRI considers it appropriate for the next governor of the state to possibly be an Anioma brother or sister from Delta North or any other part of the state but not an Urhobo. This way, he explained, the Urhobos will not be perceived as using its numerical strength to oppress the minority groups in the State and that the positive side will be that those from the minority regions will respect and hold the Urhobo ethnic nationality in high esteem as their “big brother”.
Dr Oghenesivbe further disclosed that the APETRI passed a vote of confidence on Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan for his giant strides in education, health, small and medium scale enterprises programmes as well as for the overall economic and infrastructural transformation of the state; adding that the group agreed to bestow the prestigious “APTRI FIVE STARS AWARD” on the governor come May 29, immediately after handing over to the new governor of the State.
