Former Minister of Information and Culture, and elder statesman, Prof. Sam Oyovbaire has faulted the position of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on the zoning arrangement of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State.
TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Prof. Oyovbaire faulted the position of Governor Okowa on the PDP zoning arrangement in the State on Saturday while speaking at the inauguration of Delta Central 2023, a political lobby group christened DC-23.
Oyovbaire, speaking at the event held at the conference centre of the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), confirmed that PDP has a zoning arrangement in the State, and that the power rotation is anchored on the three senatorial districts and not based on ethnicity.
Recall that while addressing journalists in a quarterly media interaction in Asaba, the State capital, Okowa had opened up on his idea of the State PDP zoning arrangement.
He was addressing the rumour that he is planning to handover power to an Ijaw man come 2023 when there is a gentleman agreement within the PDP for power to rotate within the three senatorial districts.
Okowa from Delta North Senatorial District in 2015 took over as Governor from former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, who is from Delta South. Before them, Chief James Ibori was Governor from Delta Central.
The rotation of the governorship seat among the various senatorial districts gave rise to a zoning pattern in the PDP of the State in what seems to be a gentleman’s agreement.
This gives the impression that the next Governor of the State should come from Delta Central come 2023, owing to the arrangement and where the rotation started in 1999 with Ibori.
However, it has been rumoured that Okowa had already reached an agreement with Ijaw leaders to ensure that his successor comes from the Ijaw ethnic nationality in Delta South Senatorial District as a payback for their support to his administration.
Among the Ijaw from Delta South senatorial district jostling to succeed Governor Okowa are Okowa’s deputy, Deacon Kingsley Otuaro, and the current senator representing Delta South, Senator James Manager.
“A gentleman agreement is an agreement that is not written. I want to believe that that is what it is supposed to be. But, whether there was any further meeting in which a gentleman agreement was reached, there has been no formal meeting in which a gentleman agreement was reached as at today.
“It means that whatever we are doing and talking about today, it is about what is fair, what is equitable, and how to define what is fair, and to define what is equitable, and justiciable.
“Hearing about me handing over to an Ijaw man, it is only God Almighty that knows who will be Governor after me. I cannot pretend to be God, for I am not. I don’t know who God is going to bring. I do not have an intention of playing the role of God.
“Just as they say I want to hand over to an Ijaw man, that is how they say I want to hand over to an Urhobo. You will hear so many things. I do not think I have the strength to play God.
“But the real truth is, when the politics starts, politics will be played. But I know that God Almighty will take the decision of who will be Governor.
“At some point in time, as a party, we will sit down to look at issues, to find out what truly is fair, what truly is justiciable, and what should equity really mean. Where is the Governorship going? I think if you pray, and you ask God, God may reveal it,” Governor Okowa said at the quarterly media interaction.
Meanwhile, faulting Governor Okowa’s position, Oyovbaire has confirmed the PDP zoning arrangement in the State, stressing that the “gentleman” power rotation of the PDP in the State was never based on ethnicity, rather on the bases of senatorial districts.
Oyovbaire called on the Urhobo nation to go about pursuing the actualization of producing the next governor modestly.
He advised that it is important that the Urhobos should not show any form of arrogance about seeking to produce the next governor.
The former minister said the Urhobos must be ready to persuade people and make them see that the rotation is a robust thing that will bring peace to the state.
Prof Oyovbaire who was the chair of the DC-23 occasion, said the convener, Chief Ighoyota Amori, is his good friend and one very enthusiastic in everything he does, but said talking about a constitution and structures were not necessary because it is a lobby group within the PDP.
On the rumours that DC-23 was a group formed to project David Edevbie, he said: “As far as I know, DC-23 is not working for any candidate”.
Speaking more about the group, he said: “In DC-23, I personally rejected to have an office. They had zoned whatsoever they thought was the Board of Trustees to Okpe thinking that was the position I was interested in.
“I am not in any office. I believe in DC-23 because it is a lobby group within PDP. If I discover that it is outside PDP I will get out”.
While he commended the initiative, he said if you ”keep on having too strong a group, you would encourage others to have theirs against you. That is not what PDP wants or stands for. PDP stands for persuasion”.
According to him, it is his view that the rotation comes to Delta Central not because he is an Urhobo man.
“No one who has gone against the party has been able to produce any governorship candidate for the party. We went through rough edges under Uduaghan and Okowa. The party will take a stand based on the rotation arrangement and we will all follow that”.
To the Urhobo nation, he said: “Let us be humble, convince our fellow PDP leaders and co-leaders in the North, and particularly in the South senatorial districts that it should go back to Urhobo.
“We started in the Central, it went to the South, we all fought it to go the North and now it is coming back to Central.
“But don’t force people. People may want to contest from other senatorial districts but once the party stands and says this is the way we are going, that is where we go”.
Also speaking at the event was the Political Adviser to the Chairman of the PDP National Working Committee, Chief Ighoyota Amori, who is the Convener and Chairman of DC-23.
Amori said DC-23 was on course and ready to deliver it’s assignment through appeal to other senatorial districts of the State.
In his address, Amori reeled out the modus operandi of DC-23 and stated that with God, Delta Central will claim the governorship seat
Amori’s address reads: “There are so many expectations on me to deliver on the avowed sole aim of the organization, and I wish to assure you that, I will not disappoint the good and peace loving people of Delta Central by the grace of God.
“This organization is not a one man show, it was put together by prominent and reverend elders and leaders of Delta Central political class.
“For Clarity, DC-23 is not a political party. It is a political pressure group within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta Central with a single objective of delivering on the Governorship Project in 2023.
“DC-23 is not a parallel body to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State, DC-23 is not formed to be antagonistic to our amiable Governor of Delta State, H.E. Senator Dr. Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, DC-23 is not formed to promote disharmony among the three Senatorial districts in Delta State.
“Rather, DC-23 is formed to support our amiable Governor to enable him finish strong; to promote inter senatorial peace, love and unity in Delta State, to create an enabling peaceful environment for succession of the governorship in Delta State.
“The task before us is enormous, it is not a job that will be left for the Exco of DC-23 to handle alone. It is an assignment for every member of PDP and friends of PDP.
“The approach to achieving this goal will not be confrontational. We shall go round our people in Delta Central and appeal to them for support, we shall go beyond Delta State to Abuja and other places in the world where we can find people who will be of help to us, we shall not respond to any form of antagonism, we shall be steadfast and united for us to deliver on the avowed project.
“Before we step out, we shall make urgent arrangements to visit our traditional rulers to obtain their blessings and we shall appeal to them on behalf of Delta Central, to reach out to their colleagues in Delta North and Delta South Senatorial Districts.
“We shall then visit the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) to obtain blessings from them, we shall also appeal to them to send delegations to meet with their counterparts in Delta North and South Senatorial Districts.
“Having achieved these goals, we shall immediately launch out our appeal missions throughout the State.
“May I say that the task before us is enormous, to achieve our goal requires everyone cooperation and understanding; unity, tolerance and patient with each other. No human being is infallible, I therefore wish to tender apology ahead for any mistakes we shall make to which we shall correct in the course of carrying out this assignment.
“With God on our side, we shall succeed to the Glory of God in 2023.
“I thank you once again,for finding me,my exco members and Board of Trustees members worthy to serve Delta Central at this critical period of the annal of our political history”.
Meanwhile, TNG recalls that in events leading up to the 2019 Governorship election in Delta, Okowa expressed confidence in the zoning arrangement of the State PDP, the principle upon which he was elected in 2015 and re-elected in 2019.
At one of such events, a well attended campaign rally of the PDP, held on 1st of February 2019 at Owa-Oyibu, Ika North-East local government area of, home of the State Governor, Okowa placed on record that the rotational principle has cemented the bond of unity in the State.
The Governor, who largely laced his speech in Ika language, stated: “I am happy with the crowd that I am seeing here today; God bless Ika nation, God bless Deltans for this show of solidarity; in our State, no one is talking about any other political party, it is all about the PDP.
“I thank our leaders for the support, in every part of Delta State, we have no fear because, we have agreed on turn-by-turn, zoning has made us to be more patient, happier, more united and living in peace.
The Governor’s speech was received with a resounding ovation from the thousands of Deltans across party lines who were at the rally.
However, at the point in time referred to by Governor Okowa when the PDP had sat down and looked at issues, Deltans will find out what the PDP zoning arrangement in the State is like: whether zoning by ethnicity or zoning by senatorial districts.
Meanwhile, no fewer than six Urhobo from Delta Central, including, Olorogun Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, Olorogun David Edevbie, Olorogun Kenneth Okpara, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi and Chief James Augoye have indicated interest in contesting for the governorship seat under the PDP in 2023.