Editor, Politics/Features, EMEKA ALEX DURU, looks at dominant issues and personalities in Delta 2015 governorship contest.
Uduaghan
There may be sense in Delta State priding itself as Nigeria’s Big Heart. Analysts, in fact, argue that the state is complex in many ramifications. The indigenes have, for instance, distinguished themselves in leadership, entrepreneurship, academia and public service.
Perhaps, more than any other sphere of activities, the complexity in the state is evident in the political arena, where its composite ethnic groupings struggle to outdo one another, for political dominance. Politics in the state is as intriguing as the game of chess.
It is always a game of horse-trading, where the knight is always lurking in the corner for the last minute to strike.
In 2007, when Governor James Ibori held sway, the preferred candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the dominant political party in the state, was kept away from casual interpreters. While the likes of Godwill Obielum, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and Dr. Cairo Ojougboh appeared to be the front-runners, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, who later picked the prized ticket, lurked in the shadows, only to emerge at the 11th hour.
The same trend is bound to recur in the 2015 contest. Many of those that currently appear to be leading the pack may end up selling the dummy, in fact, playing the role of forerunners to the eventual contenders.
It has been noted, for example, that a major factor that is critical to the emergence of the PDP candidate is the support of Governor Uduaghan and horse-trading with other ethnic groupings in the state. For a candidate of Anioma extraction (Delta North) to emerge, the support of the Urhobo, one of the dominant ethnic groupings in the state, is requisite, enlightened analysts have argued.
Delta North and 2015
Delta, since its creation in 1999, has been ruled by people from Central and South senatorial districts. Delta Central had produced Felix Ibru and Ibori, while Uduaghan is from the South, with the North not having a shot at the office, yet.
This exclusion has informed the agitation of Delta North indigenes for the office in 2015. Incidentally, while there might not be an official position on zoning, there seems to be an understanding by political actors in the state to zone the governorship slot to the North, especially among PDP stalwarts.
It is perhaps on this consideration that while there are few candidates from Delta Central and South, who have collected PDP nomination forms for the governorship contest, the race is dominated by aspirants from the North.
Ndokwa in the eye of history
Delta North comprises three sub-ethnic groupings: Aniocha-Oshimili, Ika and Ndokwa. Even within the three sub-ethic units, Ndokwa indigenes claim the most alienated in terms of political patronage since 1999. They argue that in the present political patronage structure, the Ika axis has Okowa (representing Delta North in the Senate), Godwin Emefiele (Central Bank of Nigeria Governor), and Ojougboh (National Vice Chairman of PDP South South).
The area, it was learnt, had earlier produced two speakers of the House of Assembly – Martins Okonta and Sam Obi. The latter served as acting governor of the state when Uduaghan’s election was upturned by the courts. Okowa had also, at a time, been Secretary to State Government (SSG).
Aniocha-Oshimili has been observed to have dominated most federal appointments from the state since 1999. It has produced Philip Asiodu (Chief Economic Adviser to the President), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy), Dr. Chris Agbobu (former minister), Professor Joy Ogwu (former Minister and currently Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations), Professor Sylvester Monye (Special Adviser to the President on Project Monitoring and Evaluation), and Dr. Nwanze Okidegbe (Chief Economic Adviser to the President).
The axis had also produced Benjamin Elue (deputy governor for eight years), Victor Ochei (Speaker) and Peter Onwusanya (Speaker of the House of Assembly).
Ndokwa axis, it has been argued, has not been as lucky as other sub-ethnic units. It has only enjoyed meagre political patronage in Patrick Osakwe, who represented Delta North for 12 years in the Senate; Olisa Imegu (Speaker of the House of Assembly, whose tenure was truncated midway); and Beatrice Omeni, who also had a stint as SSG.
Indigenes of the sub-unit, therefore, insist that it would amount to injustice for person from other axes of the zone to emerge PDP candidate.
Part of the points the Ndokwa count on in their aspiration is that the Urhobo and Isoko, by marriage and geographical proximity, have sentiment for the sub-axis and would, therefore, work with it.
The area is also considered a resource partner to the revenue base of the state, especially as it is said to account for a chunk of oil and gas production in the country.
Emetulu, Obielum on the block
Charles Emetulu and Godwill Obielum are currently two leading aspirants from the Ndokwa axis.
Emetulu, who, until recently, was Commissioner for Power and Energy in Delta, is from Abbi in Ndokwa West Local Government Area of the state. He is the only member of Uduaghan’s executive council that is running for the office.
His supporters enthuse that being an insider to the Uduaghan administration, he stands in better stead to carry on with the state’s ‘Delta Beyond Oil’ project.
They also argue that Emetulu comes with no baggage for the office.
“He is humble but engaging. Since assuming the Delta State Power Portfolio, Emetulu has left no one in doubt that he understands the essence of governance, with the massive deployment of rural electrification projects across the length and breadth of the state,” Ike Ozoani, Lagos-based Delta-born public affairs analyst, volunteered to TheNiche in a chat.
Emetulu had served as member of Delta State Post Primary Education Board, Special Assistant to the Special Project Director of Ogbe-Ijoh and Udu Harbour market projects, and political aide to the Commissioner for Commerce and Industry in Delta from 2003 to 2005.
This is not the first time Obielum would be aspiring to govern Delta. He had made bold move for the office in 2007 when he literally took the politics of the state by storm. It was, in fact, at a time, insinuated that he was an anointed candidate of the national leadership of the PDP. But his aspiration ended up not flying. It is not certain how far he would go in the current engagement.