Ibori, Clark face-off
CAST your mind back to 2006/2007, the feud between former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clarkand former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, was that the latter, from the Urhobo ethnic stock, did not consult him on his successor, who later turned out to be Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, an Itsekiri from the same South Senatorial district with Chief Clark, an Ijaw by tribe.
As far as close observers could recall, things were rosy between Ibori and Clark until that moment. In fact, Clark was fighting the Ibori ex-convict case as if it was his personal battle and that has been his style. You can be friend today and enemy if he no longer believes in you.
Uduaghan, Clark amity
Return to 2014, the same scenario of who takes over as governor of the state in 2015 with Dr. Uduaghan as incumbent governor.
The game is on, just as some aspirants claimed to be Ibori’s anointed then and groups purported that their principals were only waiting for coronation, so it is today with those claiming they just left the Uduaghan’s bedroom.
However, the camaraderie between Clark and Uduaghan today and the passion with which “living deity” of Delta politics speaks about him (governor) did not just happen. Uduaghan built bridges and made many concessions before the Ijaw national leader simmered down.
Aspirants’ modest games
A close watch at the political turf today will reveal the governorship race in the state has entered the phase of mind-reading of perceived political brokers. All the governorship aspirants in the state, particularly those on the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP platform are involved in the game.
First part of the game is courting Uduaghan and Chief Clark by all means, the second is doing everything to be in their separate good books and remain in them until the primaries; and the third is monitoring the body language of the duo at every point in time.
Okowa, Ochei, Okubor, Obuh
The game of politics is really unpredictable. At inception, many thought there was an unrecorded covenant between Governor Uduaghan and his friend, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, who emerged second in the party’s governorship primaries at Ogwashi-Uku in 2006.
The governorship ticket was believed to be Okowa’s for pick at any time and politicians, across the state, were working for his 2015 ambition on that score. It, however, filtered that the anointing has passed him by to the former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Victor Ochei.
The former Speaker, who still enjoys remarkable support in the state, did not chicken out after he lost the exalted office, and even when the story changed in favour of the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Dr. Felix Okubor.
At present, a politician in Delta Central senatorial district, Chief Olori Magege, who declared his support for Okubor’s gubernatorial ambition, is under fire by his Urhobo kinsmen, who want him to recant his position.
The constantly flowing “anointing” had allegedly departed from Okubor and is now said to have settled on the head of the Permanent Secretary, Government House and Protocol, Asaba, Mr. Tony Obuh. In Delta politics, it is difficult to know the swing of the pendulum until the eleventh hour.
But, it is apparent that the Majority leader of the Delta State House of Assembly, Chief Monday Igbuya, once trumpeting the gubernatorial ambition of Hon Ochei and Akulagba of Warri, Chief Ayiri Emami, are among those zealous to crown Obuh in 2015. Obuh’s humility appears infectious.
Other mind readers
Prof Sylvester Monye, Hon Ndudi Elumelu, Mr. Godswill Obielum, Mrs. Ngozi Olejeme and Mr. Clement Ofuani are other governorship aspirants from the North senatorial district (Anioma), who are also reading the Uduaghan and Clark’s minds. One or two governorship hopefuls in Uduaghan’s cabinet are also reading his body language to know when to take the next step. The game keeps changing. It’s part of the game.
Gbagi, Omo-Agege deep in the game
In the Central senatorial district, business mogul and criminologist, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi, will tell you confidently that both Clark and Uduaghan know who is most capable among the pack of aspirants to rule the state in 2015. He speaks of both men in good light and does not mince words that he is the one the cap fits.
On his part, Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege says those who peddle the rumor that he and Uduaghan have irreconcilable differences should think of another yarn. They both visited Clark in the last few days in continuation of the unfolding plot.
The Deputy Governor of the state, Prof Amos Utuama, was learned to be making consultation and as at Wednesday, he visited Kiagbodo, Chief Clark’s country home to donate 1,126 law books to the proposed Edwin Clark University, apparently to soften the ground for his gubernatorial quest. He is from the same area with Gbagi.
[Credit: Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South - Source: VanguardNG]
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