By Festus Ahon
LIKE the storming winds knocking trees against each other in the forest, the argument whether or not the Delta State governorship ticket has ever been zoned is knocking politicians in the state against one another, particularly those of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
More worrisome is the position of some persons in the state who are making statements to the effect that the governorship has been zoned to the Delta North and should be left for only PDP members of Delta North extraction to contest. Democracy is interesting when all interest groups are represented in a contest.
Delta State, irrespective of senatorial or ethnic affiliation is one constituency meant to be governed by a detribalized politician and not an ethnic bigot.
This agitation for zoning is only out to disunite the political class and the three senatorial districts meant to be together by God’s design. It is on record that the governorship has always been contested by the Delta Central, North and South since the creation of the State in 1991.
Top from left: Okowa, Gbagi, Orubebe, and Omo-Agege, Olejeme, Ochei, Obuh and Elumelu
In 1993, the governorship was contested for by the three districts in the primary elections of the Social Democratic Party, SDP and the National Republican Convention, NRC. At the general elections, Olorogun Felix Ibru from Delta Central who flew the SDP flag locked horns with Chief Eric Opia of the NRC from the Delta North.
It is on record that Olorogun Felix Ibru was elected as Governor in that election not because the governorship was zoned to the Central, but because he won the said election in accordance with the then electoral guidelines. And everyone in the State knows that Olorogun Felix Ibru, until his government was truncated by the late General Sani Abacha, governed as a detribalized Deltan who started the development of the capital city of Asaba.
Again, on return of democracy in 1998, the three brothers (Delta North, Central and South) also threw their hats into the ring for the contest of the governorship seat where Chief James Ibori of the PDP was elected on the 9th of January 1999 and sworn in on May 29th same year.
Those who ran with Chief James Ibori were Mr Afam Okonkwo of the defunct Alliance for Democracy, AD, Mr Moses Kragha of the defunct All Peoples Party, APP, and a host of others.
And in 2003, Chief Joshua Elueme and Chief Ifeanyi Onwukamike from the North contested the PDP primaries with Chief James Ibori but he (Ibori) won not on the basis of zoning but on the basis of acceptability.
In 2007, Dr Cairo Ojougboh, Chief Godswill Obielum, Prof Fidelis Oditah, Chief Simon Ebonka, Dr Ngozi Olejeme, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa from Delta North and late Chief Pius Ewherido, Chief Charles Obule, Chief O’Tega Emerhor, Hon Napoleon Gbinije, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi, Mr Sunny Onuesoke, Hon Ejaife Odebala, Olorogun Oscar Ibru, and Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege ran against Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan.
Same scenario played out in 2011, the governorship election was not also left for Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan; he emerged winner in the elections by dint of his hard work and acceptability not because the governorship was zoned to the Delta South.
From the above analysis, it is very clear that the governorship of the State has never been zoned; zoning only promotes mediocrity and therefore not good for a growing democracy.
Therefore, the PDP like it was in the past should open the governorship to all ethnic groups and senatorial districts for Deltans to elect a governor of their choice that is not anchored on zoning.
Any credible candidate, provided is a Deltan can emerge governor irrespective of his or her senatorial districts. Luckily, we have very many credible Deltans across the three senatorial districts in the race.
As at today, we have the likes of Mr Victor Ochei, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi, Mrs Esther Uduehi, Dr Ngozi Olejeme, Mr Ndidi Elumelu, Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege, Mr Tony Obuh, Chief Paulinus Akpeki, Mr David Edevbie, Elder Godsdey Orubebe, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, Mr Clement Ofuani and a host of others.
All these persons should be allowed to contest and a level playing ground should be provided for them and whoever emerges amongst them should fly the PDP’s flag and be supported by all. It is only when this is done that whoever emerges will win for the PDP and all Deltans; not for only a senatorial district and a microscopic few lazy and greedy elements hiding under the guise of zoning.
Interestingly, secretary of the PDP in the State, Chief Solomon Ogba recently affirmed that the party has not zoned the governorship when Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi paid a consultative visit to the State party leadership in Asaba.
Elder Godsdey Orubebe when he visited the State party Executive also vowed to resist zoning and any form of rigging and called for a level playing ground for all of them to test their popularity.
Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege on his part has consistently maintained that he was not in the race because he is an Urhobo man but because he is a Deltan who is moved by the desire to govern and add value to governance.
Mr Tony Obuh is not far from this position also. When he visited Chief E.K Clark, he said he is not running because he believes it was the turn of the Delta North to produce the State Governor in 2015, but because he wants to serve Deltans using his years of experience in the civil service.
At least three contestants representing the three senatorial districts have agreed or seem to have agreed that there is no zoning of the State Governorship. Chief E.K Clark who is revered by all politicians in the State has also maintained that he would support any credible person that emerges in a free and fair primary of the PDP, insisting that he and Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan alone cannot decide who the next Governor of the state should be.
The State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan has also said; “only God knows who will be Governor but I know those who will not be Governor,” maintaining that Deltans would decide who their next Governor will be.
Therefore, those clamouring for zoning or insisting that the State 2015 governorship has been zoned to Delta North should carry out a serious research as to when and where the governorship was zoned. Deltans should therefore be allowed to make a choice on who should govern them in 2015 or PDP could risk losing the State to opposition.
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