Uduaghan takes campaign for Senate to APC?
BY TAIWO FAROTIMI
Emmanuel Uduaghan , former governor of Delta State is the latest politician of note to reconsider his membership of a party under which he had served for 16 years. On the surface the decision to dump the People’s Democratic Party, PDP for the All Progressives Congress, APC is informed by the realisation that the powers that be within the PDP will not grant him the opportunity to run for the Senate cone 2019.
That issue did not start this year. He had wanted to run for the senate in 2015, but he withdrew because he saw that his initial decision to sponsor another candidate aside from Arthur Okowa for the governorship ticket of PDP then had fouled the air. For whatever reason Uduaghan had taken steps that countered a gentleman agreement brokered by James Ibori, his cousin and former boss that Okowa who lost the ticket to Uduaghan in 2007 will succeed him in 2015. He sponsored someone else. However, through the political connection of Ibori who was then serving a jail term in the United Kingdom Okowa got the ticket.
But soon as that happened some reconciliation was done and the then outgoing governor gave full backing to Okowa. The Crest learnt that as part of the settlement then Uduaghan offered to step down from the race for the senate so that those who were aggrieved by his initial move would not clash with his supporters at the senatorial zone. Unknown to Uduaghan his successor was not placated by all the reconciliatory moves.
The result is the frosty relationship between the two since 2015 festered, notwithstanding efforts at making peace.
On two occasions , one in Lagos and another at the government house in Asaba, Uduaghan had had to walk out of appointments with his successor because Okowa allegedly subjected him to ridicule.
What kept the former governor on was the assurance from Ibori, the man known as the head of the political family they all belong, that all will be well. But as the primaries for the next general election drew near, and with the realization that Uduaghan had started to oil his political machinery for the election into the senate the tune even from the family head had started to change. Perhaps, Ibori too who was troubleshooting between the two men had his own grouse with his cousin. Before he became the governor, Uduaghan had served in Ibori’s cabinet as commissioner for health and secretary to the government. He probably felt slighted that Uduaghan tried to alter his political calculation bc abuse he was not physically available in 2014 for the 2015 election. So while he was assuring Uduaghan that the rift between him and Okowa would be resolved, Ibori was apparently in agreement with Okowa that Uduaghan would be given another chance for an elective office within the political family.
Sources say that at an event in honour of Senator Patrick Osakwe in his home town, Ugiliamai in Ndokwa West local government area of the state both the governor and Ibori threw innuendoes at Uduaghan who was also at the event. The two of them reportedly said that since the party was bigger than any individual whoever wanted anything in the party would have to accept the decision of the party or seek solace somewhere else.
Hear Ibori: “We must learn to subsume our personal interest for the good of the state. Those who are vying for political offices should go and look for delegates and get their support because Chief Ibori and the Governor cannot help you; get your people to support you to enable you win.”
A source said that those who were at the event knowing the political undercurrent in the state and the irrelevance of the statements to the event were surprised. They should be surprised because the event was not supposed to be a political gathering, it was the 70th birthday celebration for the senator.
This came after the governor had told Uduaghan at a meeting that he should go back to his constituency to slug it out with an aide of his. It was also after leaders of the party had held series of meetings with the former governor to persuade him to stay with the PDP.
Uduaghan is said to have come under pressure from his associates to take his destiny in his own hands.
