The gang up against Great Ogboru 2019 governorship ambition in Delta state has thickened with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress; (APC), Delta South Senatorial District rejecting him to throw its weight behind the Delta North senatorial district of the state to produce the party’s governorship candidate come 2019 election.
HardReporters reliably learnt that apart from the Delta South APC leadership rejecting Mr. Ogboru’s governorship ambition, other leaders from the Delta Central had also rejected the former Labour Party governorship candidate in the 2015 general elections, and with this development, Ogboru’s chances of picking the party’s ticket may have been dashed since he is said not to be any longer enjoying goodwill as it were, since majority of the party leaders believed that it will do the party more good should the governorship ticket be ceded to Delta North.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the Expanded Delta South Senatorial District meeting held last weekend, attended by senatorial exco members, local government area chairmen, leaders and stakeholders from the district, signed by Yemi Omaghomi, chairman, APC Delta South District, Augustine Seibi, Secretary, APC Delta South, and four other leaders on behalf of the district, stated that the desire of Delta North to produce the next governor of the State on the platform of APC is fair, just and equitable.
The meeting agreed to support Delta North governorship candidacy, but on the condition that such a candidate will only do one term in line with extant power rotation in the state and to allow the zone complete its eight year tenure, even as the Delta South APC noted that the request of Delta North APC is fair, just and equitable as it guarantees all ethnic groups, particularly the minority ethnic groups, in the state fair access to the governorship seat of the state.
“The Delta South APC further notes that the request of Delta North APC is in sync with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the Constitution of our great party. In particular, Article 20(vi) of the APC Constitution provides: “Without prejudice to Article 20(ii) and (iii) of this Constitution, the National Working Committee shall subject to the approval of the National Executive Committee make Rules and Regulations for the nomination of Candidates through Primary Elections.
“All such Rules, Regulations and Guidelines shall take into consideration and uphold the principle of Federal Character, gender balance, geo-political spread and rotation of offices, to as much as possible, ensure balance within the constituency covered. The Delta South APC therefore unequivocally supports the quest of Delta North APC to produce the Governorship Candidate of our great party in the 2019 gubernatorial election in Delta State provided however that such candidate must commit to serving one term of four years.”
The Delta South APC leaders also urged all members of the party to remain steadfast and gird their loins as the party prepares for the epochal battle to dislodge the PDP government in Delta State.
Meanwhile, with this development, it appears that the 2019 APC Delta State Gubernatorial primaries will be a contest between those who believe in power rotation as an effective strategy to win the general election because it accommodates the unique interest of minorities and the Ogboru’s group who think otherwise.
