Urhobos seek North, South Delta zones’ support to produce 2023 governor
The Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), Youth Wing Worldwide, has appealed to Delta South and North Senatorial Districts to support the Central to produce the next state governor in 2023.
Its President, Mr Duru Ufuoma, made the appeal at a news conference on Sunday, alongside members of the National Executive Council of the union in Agbarho, Ughellli North Local Government Area of Delta.
Ufuoma said the appeal became expedient to sustain the existing justice, fairness and equity which the governorship zoning arrangement had entrenched in the state.
He urged those secretly formulating political alliance between Delta North and South to neutralise the political force of the Urhobos by 2023 to stop and embrace the existing principles of zoning agreement.
Ufuoma recalled that a former Governor of Delta, Chief James Ibori, had initiated the policy of rotating the governorship position among the three senatorial zones of the state.
According to him, the aim is to pave way for minorities and enable all ethnic groups in the state to attain the governorship position whenever it gets to the turn of their senatorial district.
He added that the move was welcomed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders in the three senatorial districts and jointly agreed that the governorship position be rotated among the three senatorial districts and not on ethnic basis.
“The attention of the UPU, youth wing, has been drawn to the constant discordant tunes from the Delta South, demanding for ethnic zoning of the governorship position come 2023.
“We would have ignored the deliberate move, but if we do, we are not helping to consolidate on the unity, peace and equity the PDP’s gentleman zoning agreement has yielded across the three senatorial districts.
“Come 2023, a detribalised Delta Central person shall be the governor of the state, because it is the turn of Delta Central to produce the next governor of the state.
“We call on our brothers from the Delta South secretly formulating a political alliance between Delta South and North to neutralise the political force of Urhobos in 2023 to stop and embrace the rules of zoning.
“This politically incorrect motives has a dangerous tendency to change the fortunes of PDP in Delta,” Ufuoma said.
He urged the leadership of the PDP in the state to maintain the rotational governorship arrangement to sustain the peaceful co-existence, unity and development of Delta.
Ufuoma also urged his kinsmen particularly, the political class and stakeholders, to remain calm and go about their political businesses, assuring, “governorship position is not negotiable outside Delta Central in 2023.”
The youth leader appealed to politicians from Urhobo extraction working for aspirants from other senatorial districts to have a rethink and retrace their steps.
Ufuoma thanked Gov. Ifeanyi to Okowa of Delta for fulfilling his campaign promises, adding that his developmental stride in the state had reawakened and rekindled hope of youths in the state.
