The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is warming up for next year’s senatorial election in Delta South District. Three aspirants- former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, Senator James Manager and Micheal Diden-are in the race. Who wins the ticket? Correspondent OKUNGBOWA AIWERIE examines the battle for the ticket.
Politicians in Delta State are leaving nothing to chance in their bid to get the tickets of their parties as they prepare for next year’s general elections. Many have begun consultative visits to sell their candidacy to the electorate.
In the Delta South Senatorial District, which comprises Isoko, Itsekiri, Ijaw ethnic nationalities and Urhobos, the battle for supremacy is a straight fight former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, Senator James Manager and Michael Diden, a member of House of Assembly representing Warri North Constituency.
The three aspirants, are all influential members of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
While Manager is of the Ijaw ethnic group, Uduaghan and Diden are Itsekiris.
Although Manager has been silent on his ambition, Uduaghan and Diden have not hidden theirs aspirations and they have intensified subterranean moves to various groups.
Diden has said that he will run for the Senate. He said: “It is also to let you know that I have gone round to the seven L.G.A so that, by tomorrow, if anybody asks you of my bid to run for senate you will be able to tell them about it as I want to run, and I will run.”
Despite this, it is safe to assume that the incumbent senator is eyeing the coveted senatorial seat, and will deploy enormous resources to get re-elected.
Recently, while speaking with reporters in Warri, Uduaghan hinted of his readiness to contest the election.
He said, “I am ready for election. If I get the nomination of the party, I will contest”.
He added: “Legislation is about lobbying and being a legislator you must have the ability to lobby. And lobby is easier when you know who you are talking to. People in the National Assembly, many of them are my former colleague whether in the Executive Arm or the National Assembly. Many of them are my friends and they are people we have played politics with for a long time.
“It is easier for me, for instance, to take up my phone and call Fashola for one road project somewhere in Isoko than any other person in the race to do that or call Amaechi that I want this port here than any other person to do that.
“It will be easier for me to talk to them one-on -one whether I am a senator or not. I will get an appointment for us to meet and talk… So what I’m saying in essence is that if you have the capacity it will be easier to get things to your place because it is easier for you to lobby and it is easier to attract development to your area. And I think I have that capacity to lobby and not just to pass whatever bill I’m presenting but to attract development to my constituency.
“One other thing that I think is critical for the National Assembly is that; there are a lot of national issues that are raised in the National Assembly. They are national but they affect various region of this country and if you don’t understand the politics and depth of this country you might just stay there and not be able to contribute and see the benefit of that particular issue raised to where you come from.”
It is unclear which party he meant. For there has been speculations that he may have dumped the PDP for the All Progressive Congress (APC). But, Uduaghan has neither denied nor confirmed his alleged romance with the opposition.
Secret consultations between the ex- governor and the ruling PDP kingpins and some Itsekiri leaders have held following the endorsement of many pressure groups.
But, what are the chances of these three aspirants? Given the cries of marginalisation by the other ethnic groups in the zone, how will the PDP resolve the impasse? Will other three ethnic groups allow Manager an unprecedented fifth term in office? In the event of a tie breaker, who will the Urhobos in Delta South throw their weight behind?
Undoubtedly, the cry of marginalisation in Delta South will become more strident as the election draws closer. The alleged marginalisation was reechoed in a recent interview, by the former Secretary to Government Mr. Ovuozourie Macaulay, an Isoko man.
He said: “It will be unfair for any Ijaw man to show interest in the senatorial seat for 2019, having occupied it for 16 years. I think the matter is between Itsekiri’s and Isokos. We are three brothers. It does not call for fighting or mudslinging because the person you want to destroy today may be the one who will help you tomorrow. If the Isoko want to go, they will need the Itsekiris and Ijaw and vice versa. Hence, it is a matter for all to sit at the table and discuss. This is where the interest of the three ‘I’s and the G3 come together. They should be able to guide the children in order to minimize acrimony”.
Also, the leader of the apex socio-cultural pressure group, Itsekiri Leaders of Thought (ILoT), Edward Ekpoko, has thrown its weight behind the clamour for Manager not to contemplate a return to the Senate saying: “Manager has overstayed at the Senate and it is time for him to go”.
According to the group: “It is the turn of the Itsekiri ethnic nationality to produce the candidate to represent the Ijaw, Itsekiri and Isoko ethnic nationalities that make up the Delta South Senatorial district at the NASS”.
Of the three ethnic nationalities in Delta South, the Itsekiris and the Urhobos are the only groups that have not represented the district at the NASS. While Isoko enjoyed one term when Senator Stella Omu was elected in 1999; neither the Itsekiris nor the minority Urhobos have tasted the position.
Ordinarily, based on the number of wards in Delta South, it is easy for the Ijaws to claim the senatorial seat. But, should there be a gang-up between the Isokos and the Itsekiris and the minority Urhobos, then the Ijaws will face a herculean task holding on to the seat.
The Ijaws have 40 wards, the Isokos 24 wards while the Itsekiris have 18 wards. The Urhobos have six wards.
But, politics in Delta State is not only about numbers, other extraneous factors play significant roles in determining who gets what.
Uduaghan
Although Uduaghan had in 2015 indicated interest in running for the senatorial seat, he nonetheless, pulled out of the race at the eleventh hour, citing his desire to allow “peace reign” in the state.
Uduaghan, a two term governor, wields enormous influence within the PDP and in the state; he could leverage on his political machinery cultivated over the years across the senatorial district to clinch the ticket.
The former governor has a huge war chest to prosecute his election, coupled with the influence of ex-Governor James Ibori, he may just nick the ticket.
But, some Deltans say his failure to install his successor and many of his political allies into elective position during the 2015 election, count against him for this reason they discount his chances.
But, his supporters point at his achievement in the areas of education, health, infrastructure, the Asaba Airport and the new Government House and prompt payment of civil servants as records that could endear him to the electorate.
According to his group, Uduaghan will bring to bear his vast experience and contacts nationally, adding that he will be an asset to the region, if elected.
Some critics say his pacifist nature may not augur well for the zone in the rough and tumble of Nigerian politics, pointing at his withdrawal from the Delta South 2015 senatorial elections, following threats of violence from militant groups.
In the macho world of Delta politics, this may be a sign of weakness.
Manager:
Manager is a seasoned politician. He was the pioneer PDP chairman in Delta State and one -time commissioner under Ibori. For the past 16 years, Manager has been Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). Also, since the creation of the ministry, he has held the position of Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Ministry of Niger-Delta Affairs.
This is besides being in many other vibrant committees. His critics claim he has used his influence as the chairman of the committee to concentrate most of the Delta State projects within his ethnic Ijaw land; while other ethnic groups have had to battle to attract projects to develop their areas.
Political analysts blame him for not supporting the emergence of an Isoko person after Governor Okowa won the PDP primary in 2015 and as such may not get the backing of the Isokos in 2019.They claimed he backed another Ijaw man for the position of deputy governor.
An activist and coordinator, Delta South Coalition for Progress, Mr. Tosan Omojuwa, has this to say about Manager: “As Senator Manager did nothing to support the emergence of an Isoko candidate for the position of deputy governor, the Isoko people also owe him no moral obligation to return him to the Senate”.
The ambition of Uduaghan recently got a boost following an endorsement by Ijaw Liberation Movement in Ijawland.
Its coordinator, Peremotebi Simeon, said: “The only dynamic thing is change; where there is no change, the people are not happy. There is no doubt in our minds that it is the turn of another section to represent us. That is fair game.
I am not saying our brother did not do well or is not doing well, but I believe a fresh candidate will bring something fresh to the table for our own benefit. We had followed Dr. Uduaghan’s painstaking effort to develop our area, nay the whole state, while he was governor of Delta State. We are also aware that he stepped down for our son to continue a few years ago, so he is the most suitable person for the job now.
He added: “Above all, we the Ijaws benefitted so much from his government. He did so much to make life comfortable for us through his development plans then. Now it is payback time as one good turn deserves another. Uduaghan is the only person seeking for the office who has ever told us why he is going there. The reasons are quite important to the Ijaw people and we shall put him there. We shall hold him accountable thereafter.”
A major stumbling block to Manager’s ambition is the cry of marginalization among the three ethnic groups in Delta South. How he navigates this clear and present danger to his aspiration remains to be seen.
Diden:
Diden is the lawmaker representing Warri North Constituency. Of the three aspirants, Diden appears to have the least political experience.
But, he is a proven grassroots politician with a large youth followership. He is an enormously wealthy businessman, prepared to deploy huge resources in the pursuit of his ambition. Diden is admired for his courageous approach to politics.
In the run-up to the 2015 elections, Diden, against the wishes of Uduaghan, publicly supported Okowa’s candidacy when it was dangerous to so do.
In 2003, he was appointed Transition Committee chairman of Warri North Local Council. A year later, he contested for the position of chairman of the council on the ticket of the PDP which he won resoundingly.
Uduaghan in 2008 elevated him to the position of Senior Special Assistant on Security Matters from where he was made Special Adviser on security in 2010. In 2011, Diden was appointed as Commissioner representing Itsekiri Nation in the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC).
He became a legislator in 2015. Diden is an Okowa loyalist and a member of his kitchen cabinet. Some analysts believe that Okowa may be the one behind Diden’s ambition and with the party machinery firmly in Okowa’s hands, Diden may have the last laugh.
