Preparations for the 2019 general elections have begun in earnest in Delta State. OKUNGBOWA AIWERIE reports that the campaigns, which are far from being issue-based, have degenerated into one of mudslinging between the main parties, thereby raising the spectacle of violence.
THE 2019 general elections in Delta State promises to be a keenly fought battle between the two dominant political parties — the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC), with the fringe parties serving only as adjuncts.
The campaigns for the 2019 general elections are assuming a frenetic pace. While the PDP has embarked on a state wide campaign, same cannot be said of the APC, which appears to be bogged down by internal wrangling.
With presidential elections now weeks away, there is the perception that the ruling party at the centre may have started out late, as it has not launched any meaningful attempt at soliciting votes from Deltans.
But, the APC factional chairman, Jones Erue, debunked this insinuation. He said: “We are campaigning door-to-door contrary to insinuations by the PDP that we are not campaigning. I urge all members to win the units and wards.”
Campaign efforts by both parties appear geared towards plundering votes at the unit levels across the state.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and Senator Ovie Omo-Agege stressed this new strategy recently at different fora. The governor spoke at the inauguration of the PDP campaign council in the state, when he admonished party men of the dangers of underrating the chances of the APC. He urged members to conduct a unit driven campaign.
He said: “I appeal to leaders of our party to ensure that they all relocate to their wards and mount an effective campaign, as there is no gain residing in Asaba when the battle will hold at the various units. So, I charge all to go to their various wards where the contest will hold.”
Omo-Agege expressed a similar view during the inauguration of the APC campaign council in Asaba. His words: “Our job has been cut out for us. Our election campaign is going to be unit driven. This is to ensure that the party wins with a huge margin; unlike in 2015 when the APC scored a paltry 48,000 votes.”
The PDP, without the distractions of debilitating legal battles, appears to have a head start. But, this notwithstanding, the APC inaugurated its campaign team last week amidst pomp and pageantry.
Furthermore, both parties have also sought endorsements from spiritual leaders. The race for such endorsements started late in December, when the APC governorship candidate, Chief Great Ogboru, led high-profile party men, including, former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and factional chair Jones Erue, to the Rainbow Christian Assembly, Effurun to dedicate his campaign and the entire electoral process to God.
Ogboru said the 2019 elections is for the APC to take over governance of Delta State and usher in a “new dawn of light and development” to what he described as “years of slavery and underdevelopment of the state by the PDP”.
The APC candidate said the party’s decision to dedicate the campaign committee and the entire process to God was because victory was assured. Uduaghan, at the church service, boasted that with his defection to the APC, the issue of who wins the 2019 elections in the state is already a settled affair.
He said: “I know how we have been doing it before and with both of us (Uduaghan and Ogboru) now in one camp victory is already sure come 2019.”
The PDP, not wishing to be outdone in the quest for spiritual intervention, dedicated its own 2019 election campaign to God at a vigil in Asaba, the state capital. Okowa, on that occasion, expressed confidence that God would grant the candidates of the party victory in the forthcoming general elections.
His words: “Because we have put our God first, we have no need to be scared going into the campaign or scared of the elections. God is leading us into the battle and we will have victory. As a people and as a party, there is no doubt that we have worked hard these three and half years to deliver democratic dividends to our people. It is significant that we come to the presence of God today to seek Him. It is going to be the battle of the spirits and our God will prevail; our opponents that are relying on small gods will fall.”
Also, as part of preparations, new campaign offices have been commissioned by both parties.
The PDP recently secured the endorsement of some traditional rulers in different parts of the state. For instance, all the traditional rulers of Isoko ethnic nationality and their President-Generals endorsed Governor Okowa as their candidate for the 2019 governorship elections.
At an emergency national conference of Isoko nation convened by the Isoko Development Union (IDU) held at Oleh, Isoko South Local Government Area, Delta State, the traditional rulers observed that the only way they could reciprocate the governor’s good governance in Isoko land is to re-elect him to continue with his good works.
The Ovie of Oleh Kingdom, Omagha I, Anthony Ovrawah, who is the Chairman of Isoko Traditional Council of Traditional Rulers, led more than 19 traditional rulers to pray for the governor, assuring that all Isoko sons and daughters would cast their votes for him.
Also, Anioma traditional rulers unanimously backed the re-election of Governor Okowa with a vote of confidence, stating that he has delivered the dividends of democracy across the state.
The royal fathers, under the aegis of Delta North Traditional Rulers Forum (DNTF), gave the confidence vote at a meeting held at the Palace of the Obi of Owa, Obi Emmanuel Efeizomor II, where they observed that Governor Okowa has delivered the dividends of democracy across the state and as such deserves a second term to complete the good work he has started.
But, it remains to be seen if these endorsements secured by the PDP will translate to electoral votes. Okowa had, while admonishing party faithful during the inauguration of its campaign council harped on the need for an issue-based campaign.
His words: “First, I want to thank the party for putting up this campaign council and other bodies that had been set up for the purpose of the campaign for the PDP in Delta State. As we go into the campaign, it should be issue-based. We are confident that there is a lot of achievements for us to campaign with which will earn us victory. Other persons may go out there to insult people and say what they do not know. Please don’t respond to such persons; tell the story of where we have been, where we are today and what we will do because, we have a lot of projects; we have commissioned several projects and there is a lot more to be commissioned.”
The campaigns have been anything but issue based, despite what the leadership of the leading parties would have the electorates believe. Okowa, during a ceremony to receive decampees in Ughelli North, alleged that the APC was planning to disrupt elections using federal might.
His words: “They want to disrupt elections in Delta North; they boast of bringing the police and army, but we cannot be intimidated by these things.
“During the elections, don’t leave your units after voting; remain, send delegations to accompany the electoral officers to the ward, the local government headquarters and to the state headquarters. Don’t give them room to rig, because, you can see that the opposition is not engaging in campaign, because they are aware that they cannot win in a free and fair contest; they don’t have campaign programmes and they have nothing to campaign with. But, we must watch them closely.”
The APC has not been entirely blameless in this regard, as they have also been engaged in mudslinging. At an APC reconciliation meeting in Uwvie LGA, the APC governorship candidate accused the PDP of electoral malpractice.
He said: “This time around, the PDP can no longer do what they used to do with high impunity. They are going to bribe people, but when there is contention between authority and money, money will fail. We want change in Delta State. What the PDP had always relied on, rigging elections, no longer exists; this has been dislodged by one man, Sai Baba. The PDP has money to bribe, but when there is contention between authority and money, authority carries the day. So, the PDP will lose in a free and fair election. Uvwie opposition has always given the PDP a good fight for their money since 2003. They will carry electoral materials to Government House, but we will still defeat them. They defeated Barr. Agbamu then by changing the result. But, that will never happen again. They no longer have the capability and capacity to carry electoral materials anymore. They don’t have that cover anymore in Abuja; it has been dislodged by the man, Sai Baba. God is with us.”
The Labour Party may bear the unenviable toga of a fringe party, but its Delta State Chairman, Chief Tony Ezeagwu, believes the two dominant parties are in for a rude shock. He said the LP will exploit the disunity in the major political parties.
Responding to a question, Ezeagwu said: “We have candidates vying for all 29 constituency seats in the state legislature, including all National Assembly seats. As a political party, we are ready for elections. Elections is not about inaugurating big campaign councils, the LP will win big in the forthcoming elections in Delta.”