Edirin Etaghene
Is this rotational politics of the People Democratic Party (PDP) realistic in a country with diverse people who now give different definitions to it as a dogma. This politics of rotation was initially introduced by the Peoples Democratic Party at the national level. The motif was an arrangement whereby national leadership of the nation could oscillate between the North and South of the country. But it later snowballed to the states in a rather jealous and aggressive manner of sharing the “national cake” it made its inroad into Delta State in 2003 when Chief James Onanefe Ibori, the then governor in 2007 handed over to the incumbent Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan in 2007 from Delta South Senatorial District.
Since then the rather inconceivable and provocative anachronism (depending on which side of the divide one is) has become a bitter debate in the state with pros and cows. On the heel of 2015, the revulsion of interest for it is becoming virulent. This situation raises a vital question of whether this rotation politics that is not even in the party constitution, not even a convention but a mere pronouncement is binding, that is legal. At best in Delta State, the rotation of the governorship has sprawled into three definitions or schools of thought. One is the normal staggered shift among the three senatorial districts. Secondly, there is the agitation for the decentralization of the state capital. Thirdly, the liberal interpretation of not rocking the status quo ante of an open race for all to let the best emerge. Chief Peter Okocha is a principal proponent of this position.
Those who pursue the second option cite the precedent of 1963 when Mid West Region was created. Then Chief Dennis Osadebay from Anioma was made the premier while Chief Samuel Mariere was made governor and the Edo people were given the capital. Those who take this line of thought tend to disqualify any yearning of those from Anioma to occupy Government House, Asaba, come 2015. How pertinent are these issues? These points have to be cogitated very deeply before jumping into the governorship race in Delta State because in the absence of this, many aspirants have made their intentions known to contest for the governor of the state.
In the North Senatorial District, there are about five and the figure is still growing. These include Chief Festus Okubor, present Chief of Staff at Government House Asaba, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, Dr Ngozi Ojeleme, the only female aspirant on the track of history to become the first female governor of the state, Chief G. Obilemu, a former police officer, et al.
In Delta South, there is Elder Peter Orubebe, the Erstwhile minister of Niger Delta. In Delta Central District are also a panoply of candidates amongst whom are Chief Obaisi Omo-Agege, a polished gentle man with an intimidating experience, apparently the front runner, Chief Kenneth Gbagi, a man of enormous wealth, Chief David Edevbie, the finance commission during the Ibori regime, Paulinus Akpeki, then there is the speculative ambition of the present Deputy Governor of the State, Prof Amos Utuama (SAN).
Another vital question in Delta State as the stride towards 2015 is for whom is the bell tolling? Which of these arguments enunciated above will hold the test of time? For population the people of Delta Central hold the ace with about 52 percent of the state’s population spaced across the State. In 2011 there were a plethoad of candidates from the district ending up in that popular aphorism of too make cooks spoil the soup. This time around what strategy must be adopted to shore up their relevance vis-à-vis population, human resources and wealth.
This also raises the question of the position of cultural groups in the nation’s polity. Already, the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), the Ndigbo, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Afenifere, Ijaw National Council (IYC), et al are that found all over the country have become integral part of our national politics and there’s no running away from them as they can no longer be neutral. As Geoge Habash, an aide to Yasir Arafat of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) posited in the 1070s; “there is no neutrality in politics or innocent bystanders in today’s world”. One must have an opinion that is forcefully and publicly expressed. This has been the position of the UPU, an apolitical organisation at its founding moment. It is one of the eldest cultural grouping in Africa founded about the same time with the African National Congress (ANC). While the ANC metamorphosed into a freedom fighting group and finally a political party the UPU has remained a cultural group. However unarguably, the political setting in Nigeria makes it impossible for the UPU to metamorphose into a political party like the ANC. However, the time has come for it to influence our politics. The other cultural groups in Nigeria are imbued with the political development and growth in their domain. This hypothesis or assumption throws a big challenge at the doorstep of the UPU. Everyone in Delta State can sit back and watch like a Kaleidoscope the reasons for the failure of the Urhobo candidate at the PDP primaries in 2010. Must that be repeated this year prior to the PDP primaries later in the year. Now we have aspirants who in their own individual rights are qualified to rule the state.
In every group, there are always pri-mus in-ter peaces (first among equals). Political scientists have over the ages spoken of egalitarianism. George Orwell before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990 captured the “stupidness” of all been equal in his Animal Farm where their leaders told the other animals that “all animals are equal but some are more equal than the others”. The UPU must take an inference from this with a brutal operation of selecting the men from the boys among the array of aspirants coming for this contest from the Urhobo nation. And the chosen candidate on his own must keep faith with our common interest.
Who amongst the aspirants can take the interest of the Urhobop nation to heart cum good and effective governance of the state? Effective governance is the key. By 1999, the UPU was almost moribund tied down with lawsuits by its former president general, late Dr. Fredrick Esiri. Chief F. Efetuku led the delegation to plead with Esiri to withdraw the lawsuit to pave the way for an organized leadership election in about two decades. All these were on the instigation of James O. Ibori as governor who told them he was impressed with the political activities of other cultural groups across the nation.
Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege, after a careful overview of the many aspirants to parades the charisma of a man born to carry this burden. He is an Orogun man. Orogun had their origin from Aboh in Delta North. He was comfortable when he visited Asagba of Asaba, HRH Chike Edozie, he mixes freely with the disabled, he knows the intricacies of government House politics. He worked with Ibori closely and finally as the Secretary to the State Government. The issue is: why do many political pundits to see him as the one who can factor home the many problems in Urhobo land and the State? This is the test before the UPU at this
crucial moment of decision making.
These are questions re-energized UPU must garner the real reason with no reservation to answer as the people expect it not to make the mistake of the past by remaining neutral. It must show its force and
in the right direction for the interest of Urhobo land and good governance of Delta State.
