By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South
CHIEF Peter Nwaboshi, former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Delta State is presently one of the aspirants for the party’s ticket in the Delta North senatorial district. He is one of those, who strongly believe that Delta North should produce Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan’s successor in 2015.
He explains in this interview why and also advanced reasons why the Delta Central senatorial district should tread sensibly on the issue.
HOW is your senatorial quest going?
We are campaigning, selling our vision and programmes to the people, the PDP family and electorate. I and my organization are confident that by the grace of God I will emerge victorious at the primaries of my party, after which, we will go for the main election.
Do you consider Dr. Mrs. Marian Ali, wife of former national chairman of your party as a threat to your ambition?
Mrs. Ali is not a threat to my ambition. Any day, any time, we will go to the field and the people of Delta North will choose who will represent them. For me, I do not see her as a threat to my political ambition, not at all.
Peter Nwaboshi
Is the Delta North’s bid for 2015 governorship still on course?
I have made myself clear on the need for equity. That is why I named my campaign organization, Equity 2015. It is a reminder to those campaigning for me, those who wish me well and those who also do not wish me well that the concept we are talking about is equity.
The Delta Central senatorial district has produced governors of the state for 10 years, the South is doing its eight years, and it is only equitable that Delta North should produce the next governor. I have said this severally, I said it as far back as 2007.
Thank God, from the struggle, we were able to produce the present governor of the state, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, who is from the South senatorial district, and until it goes round to all the three senatorial districts, I will not relent on my stand and by the grace of God, it will happen.
Are you not concerned that some aspirants from Delta North will scuttle this agenda?
There is no Delta North aspirant that does not want a Delta North candidate, there is none. I can tell you that, probably because of the publication they made with some other aspirants from Delta Central senatorial district, some people are thinking they have swayed, but I can tell you that I have spoken to almost all of them since I read the publication and there is none of them who is saying he does not want a Delta North candidate to emerge.
They are unanimous and committed to the emergence of a Delta North candidate. Yes, you can understand that in a political setting, people are looking for every means to win, but not that when the chips are down, that any Delta Northerner will vote against his district producing the next governor of the state. I can beat my chest about that.
Are you not troubled by the stand of the Urhobo Progress Union that the Delta Central (Urhobo people) will vote against your party, PDP, if it fields a Delta North candidate for the 2015 election?
I have never been troubled by that statement, I am not troubled and I will not be troubled by that statement. The political situation in this state is very clear to me. Nobody has control over voting. No senatorial district has monopoly over voting in the state and nobody tells a man, who are you. If you tell your fellow man, who you are, he will tell you who he is. We shall meet in the battle field, which is the election.
I am not troubled at all by what they have said. But let me say and I want to say, when I make statement, people say it is controversial and all that, but I will always speak my mind.
And that is that the voting in 2015 will determine the position of Delta state beyond 2015. What will happen- the voting pattern in the senatorial districts in 2015 will determine what will happen in subsequent gubernatorial elections. I want to say that no one senatorial district can produce a governor in this state and if a senatorial district feels that it has a monopoly, that only it can produce the governor, the other two senatorial districts will tell them that they do not have such monopoly. And there is nothing wrong in two senatorial districts forming a bloc.
I am making this statement because of the trend things are assuming. Not that after saying it, people will start saying Nwaoboshi has started. The Ijaw, Isoko, Itsekiri, Anioma are watching.
I believe that an organization that caters for the welfare of its people should limit itself to what it is. I have said it before, in 1999, I was the state secretary of this party ,the UPU supported Moses Kragha against the former governor James Ibori of the PDP, Ibori won.
In 2003, UPU supported Great Ogboru, PDP’s Ibori won. In 2007, they supported Ogboru yet again, Uduaghan of PDP won, in 2011, it was the same thing, they have always worked against the PDP, but I can tell you that they are good-minded people from that area, who would vote according to their conscience in the 2015 election.
The UPU certainly has some fears about a Delta North governor in 2015; do you not think it is necessary for Delta North leaders to approach the group to allay the fears of the Urhobo ethnic group?
(Cuts in) What are their fears?
Their fear mainly is that the capital of the state is in Asaba, Delta North, and so the governor should not also be from the same senatorial district?
Was Brigadier-General Samuel Ogbemudia (retd.) not the governor of the defunct Bendel state, is he not a Bini man and is the capital not Benin City? Was the current APC national chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun not the governor of Edo state, is he not a Bini man, is the capital of Edo state not in Benin City?
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