There was already a civil war in the Delta APC before former governor Emmanuel Uduaghan came along. For months now, members have been battling the state’s party establishment they saw as weak-willed and opportunists, while the establishment lamented some leaders’ refusal to be realistic and compromise.
As members take sides on party leadership, a new round of finger-pointing has begun, with each side of this old conflict seeking to blame the other for the increasing divisions in the party.
To some, Uduaghan and some other leaders’ rise is clearly the Party’s fault. Their actions, this argument goes, weakened and divided the party, stoking people’s rage against the party and the federal government in the state.
” They only planned to become candidates so that they will use it to trade and later pursue appointment opportunity with it, they’re not serious about the party’s fortunes at the polls, disclosed a party chieftain in Asaba.
” For example, Uduaghan wants to be the Chairman or MD of NDDC. Some others want to be minister, DGs to federal government parastatals and so on, the party stalwart alleged under the condition of anonymity.
” He is one of those people causing the greatest division. He is acting as a double edged sword with myopic and tribal agenda. They don’t want to win the election.
He alleged that some members like Uduaghan working with Chief Great Ogboru, have encouraged the base’s paranoia and conspiracy theories; its distrust of institutions and loyal party members.
He said the group’s disregard for political norms has been more flamboyant in recent times, and the disregard for fact and fondness for conspiracy has even been more pronounced.
” APC winning elections in Delta State will be a wide dream considering the current situation, he said.
A privileged party stalwart, who de-constructed the high wired intrigues said that “APC in Delta state has quite a lot of extremists and schemers. At the outset, it was a battle of people aiming at 2019. Many, including Ochei, Ojougboh and Utomi, all from North senatorial district wanted to be governor in 2019 and worked towards it.”
He also disclosed that a founding leader of the APC party in Delta state, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, has been mistreated. ” Can you imagine that Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, was not invited to the inauguration of the Delta state APC Campaign Council, he also revealed.
According to him: “Ogboru’s people (Labour Party defectors) had the belief that they are the people that will be in control for APC to win, because whether you like it or not, they have a senator, they have Ogboru, a politician with cult-like devotees. By holding on to Oyegun when it was obvious that his tenure was not going to be elongated, Emerhor lost out, as Ogboru group had cleverly snatched the state chairman, Prophet Jones Erue, who is from South senatorial district from him. And when eventually Oshiomhole emerged, like a hurricane, he unfastened all Oyegun put in place in Delta.”
“Chief Great Ogboru was not Governor in 2015 because he doesn’t know road, Uduaghan said.
Governorship candidate of the APC in the state, Chief Great Ogboru while inaugurating the Campaign council, confirmed the rift in the party and said said they have had their challenges as a party in the state, adding they have since taken steps to resolve their differences.
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