The national executive council of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), Youth Wing, Worldwide, has come up with a 10-point demands covering the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), to maintain its gentleman agreement on power rotation among the three Senatorial Districts of the state.
The body called on the Urhobos to produce a detribalized Urhobo son or daughter that would take over power from the incumbent governor Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa come 2023 just as the group warned Urhobo sons and daughters who are working for the interest of other zones particularly the Ijaws in Delta South Senatorial District to retrace their steps.
The UPU Youth Wing, equally called on the Ijaws fanning the embers of discordant tunes among the Urhobos to weaken and divide their voting strength ahead of the 2023 governorship election to desist henceforth, as the Urhobos would disappoint them when the right time comes.
UPU Youth Wing, dropped the warning by the President UPU Youth Wing, Comrade Duru Nixon Ufuoma, during a press conference on Saturday May 29th 2021, at the Urhobo Youth National Secretariat, Agbarho, Ughelli north local government area of Delta State.
This is coming on the heels of comments by the incumbent governor, Dr. Okowa, who acknowledged that there exists a gentleman agreement for power to rotate between the three Senatorial Districts, but there was no formal setting but arrangement between the leaders during the Quarterly Media Interaction on Wednesday May 19th 2021, at Government House, Asaba.
Comrade Ufuoma said, the Urhobo youth would have ignored the deliberate moves by some politicians from Delta South Senatorial zone but noted, “if we do, we are not helping to build or consolidate on the unity, peace and equity the PDP’s gentleman agreement has yielded across the three senatorial zones of Delta State, and in view of the enormous potential dangers this discordant ambition posses to Delta State and its consequences for breakdown of peace and security, therefore it has become imperative and we state as follows”, he said.
According to Comrade Ufuoma, “Come 2023, a detribalized Delta Central man shall be the Governor of Delta State because it is the turn of Delta Central zone to produce the next Governor of Delta State. The governorship position is not negotiable outside Delta Central come 2023.
“That we, the Urhobo youth, call on all Urhobo sons and daughters, most especially the political class, leaders and stakeholders to remain firm and unwavering and go about their political businesses. There is this adage which says “for it is the competition the Hawks refused to attend, that makes the fowl claims champion”.
“That those politicians from Delta South, making consultations and claiming to be the next governor of Delta state, come 2023 on the bases of ethnic rotation of the governorship position should not undermine the urhobos magnanimity in their support for PDP unwritten agreement on the rotation of power among the three senatorial zones in Delta state.
“That we call on our Ijaw brothers from Delta South Senatorial zone sounding jarring tunes and secretly formulating a political alliance between Delta North and Delta South to effectively neutralize the political force of the Urhobos by 2023, to stop and embrace the rules of the zoning accord so that the entrenchment of justice, fairness and equity in Delta State can be continue and sustain.
“That this politically incorrect motives have a dangerous tendency to change the fortunes of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State, therefore, we are drawing the attention of the leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the need and importance of maintaining the rotational governorship arrangement to sustain the peaceful coexistence, unity and development of Delta State.
“Even though Delta State is a multi-ethnic State, it is only a clear and sincere arrangement like the rotational governorship agreement that can make it possible for all the ethnic groups to attain the governorship position whenever it is the turn of the senatorial zone in which they are located. We advise those of our brothers from Delta south who are drumming incongruous governorship ambition for 2023 to exercise patience and wait for their senatorial zone’s turn to produce a governor.
“That it rankles prudent and sane minds hearing that, in spite of the good sixteen (16) years of sacrifice, the Urhobos made for Delta South and North Senatorial zones to produce governors which led to the unprecedented peace and successes across Delta State, some politicians are still carrying out campaign of calumny against the Urhobo people who initiated the Governorship rotation in the interest of the two other senatorial zones of Delta State.
“That those politicians hoping and working tirelessly to capitalize on disunity in Delta Central by secretly encouraging more Aspirant in Delta Central to divide Urhobo votes to achieve their 2023 gubernatorial ambition to see themselves having a scarecrow dream because if one political party failed to project her best aspirant, others will not fail, therefore, Urhobos are not in disunity but in unity, when the time comes, the world will see the Urhobos as a united force with uncommon strength.
“That Urhobo people firmly believe in the good people of Delta South and North Senatorial zones, therefore, we respectfully appeal to them to support Delta Central zone come 2023 to produce the next governor of Delta State, as a commensuration for the initiation of the governorship rotation which have pave ways for the minorities and made it possible for all the ethnic groups in Delta state to attain the governorship position whenever it is the turn of their senatorial zone in which they are located”.
Meanwhile, UPU Youth Wing, has appealed to other political parties in the state to give their party gubernatorial tickets to Delta Central sons or daughters for the 2023 governorship election, stating that “the act of rotating the governorship position has become a political masterstroke which remains the most important agreement that stabilized Delta State for peaceful coexistence and put her on the part of unity, peace, equity and development across the three senatorial zones.
“We also sincerely appeal to any politician of Urhobo extraction working for aspirants from the other senatorial zones to quickly have a rethink and retrace their steps back home or else, such Urhobo renegades will be disgraced openly at the appropriate time”.
