The two guber race aspirants shortly after they perform their franchise at the selection of senate flag bearer of delta north senatorial district of Delta state.
By Oye Chijioke.
The Senator representing Delta North in the senate and a top contender in the gubernatorial race in Delta State, Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa has floored his opponent Mr. David Edevbie from Delta Central.
Mr. Edevbie got 299 votes while Dr. Okowa pulled a total of 406 to out run David, making Okowa to pick the governorship ticket of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as its candidate in 2015 general election.
Okowa’s supporters who could not hide their joy immediately went into jubilation when Okowa’s votes counted 300 and were still counting.
The senator who has shown interest in the seat in 2007 stepped down for the incumbent, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and headed for the senate which didn’t move well with his followers who saw Okowa’s move as betrayal of trust.
The state capital is already agog with euphoria from the loyalists of the PDP governorship candidate.
Speaking with journalists after casting his vote, Dr. Uduaghan applauded the delegates in the way and manner they have conducted themselves which led to a very peaceful primaries.
Uduaghan said all other aspirants should take a lead from him for sacrificing his senatorial ambition for the peace of the state, saying that “the losers in the primary should accept their defeat and work with the winner”, just as he urged the winner to ensure that he/she extend a hand of fellowship to the losers to foster the unity of the state.
“There is bound to be a winner and a loser but I keep advising that it is not a do-or-die affair. I have shown an example of it not be a do-or-die affair by withdrawing from the senate race, anybody who wins should talk to the others and for the losers, they should be ready to work with the winner”.
Also speaking, the member representing Ughelli North and Ethiope West in the board of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) Rt. Hon. Chief Obiuwevbi Ominimini also commended the delegates for their peaceful conduct,and call on other political parties to emulate the PDP to bring stability to the country’s democracy.
Chief Ominimini who is also the Assistant Publicity Secretary of the party in the state seized the opportunity to advice other aspirants to know that the contest was a game of one family as it was not meant to bite each other hard as they would still need to come together to fight for the general election, “and I believe that the leaders of the party have put machinery on ground to carry out effective reconciliation of members of the party and supporters of each aspirants to build up one indivisible PDP in Delta State”.
With the emergence of Dr. Okowa as the sole candidate of the party, all is now set for him to slug it out with the likes of O’ tega Emerhor of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru of the Labour Party (LP) come February 28, 2015.
Votes pulled by other aspirants includes: Ovie Omo-Agege 10, Gabriel Oyibode 3, Dr. Ngozi Olejeme nill, Prof. Sylvester Monye 10, Rt. Hon. (Engr.) Victor Ochei 185, Tony Obuh 5, Sam Obi 5, Clement Ofuani 7, Esther Uduehi nill, Ndudi Elumelu 50, Charles Emetulu 4, Kenneth Gbagi, 2.
Others are Festus Okubor 5, Micheal Uwaka 1, Peter Okocha 6, Godwill Obielum 22, Chief Omene nill, John Akwara nill, Godsday Orubebe 49 and Johnson Opone scored 3 votes
