President Goodluck Jonathan is making efforts to pacify chieftains of the Peoples’ Democratic Party in Delta State bent on ensuring that Emmanuel Uduaghan, who was recently sacked as the state governor, does not contest the rerun election expected to take place in the next three months.
Mr. Jonathan is reportedly talking to Edwin Clark, a foremost Ijaw leader who is allegedly bent on truncating the re-election bid of Mr. Uduaghan.
The former governor who was in Abuja on Wednesday to meet Mr. Jonathan told journalists at the Presidential Villa that he had come to, “brief President Jonathan, the leader of our party, on the political development in my state.” He later met with the president in the evening, and Mr Jonathan was said to have assured him of his support.
The national leadership of the PDP is also working to reconcile all warring parties in the state to ensure that all those likely to work against the re-election of Mr. Uduaghan listen to the appeal of the president and work in “one accord” to make sure the party wins the rerun election.
Mr. Uduaghan has had a long-running battle with a faction of the party under the influence of Mr Clark. The group had publicly celebrated the former governor’s ouster and announced its opposition to his nomination as the party’s candidate in the rerun election expected to hold by early February. Mr. Clark is also one of the staunchest supporters of Mr. Jonathan in the country.
Mr. Jonathan, a source privy to the meeting said yesterday, threw his weight behind the former governor, just as he has done in previous cases in which he had supported incumbent PDP governors.
This support is critical for Mr. Uduaghan, who is currently battling to return to the Delta State Government House, amidst strong oppositions ahead of the re-run election for the gubernatorial seat in the state....
Mend thy ways
A presidency source said although Mr. Jonathan re-assured the former governor of his support, he admonished Mr Uduaghan to be more amenable to his critics in the future.
“The president may have really been angry with the former governor because of his past alleged disloyalty. However, he reassured the governor of his support to re-contest the seat,” the source said.
“The former governor has been directed to go and do a few things to correct his past mistakes,” the source added.
The former governor had earlier told journalists at the presidential villa that he was set to do battle with his political opponents in the rerun election.
Obviously counting on the president’s support, Mr. Uduaghan said he was confident that he would win the election, maintaining that he was confident in the electorate, whom he said “will decide.”
New voters register
Meanwhile, a body known as Good Government Initiative (GGI) has called on the Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC) to use the conduct of the re-run election in Delta State to prove it has the ability to conduct a free and fair election. The group, in a statement signed by Eric Omare, its coordinator, urges INEC not to use the present voters register to conduct the re-run election in the state because it is fraught with irregularities.
The statement condemned what it called the inconsistent judgments of various panels and tribunals, adding that yesterday’s judgement was an indictment on the Nigerian judiciary.
“The voters register was deliberated manipulated in the last voters’ registration to favour Emmanuel Uduaghan. This manipulation was done in some wards in some local government areas where Dr.Uduaghan was perceived to have strength,” he said. “We therefore call on Jega to ensure compilation of a new voters register before conducting the re-run election in Delta State. The present voters register in Delta State cannot guarantee a free and fair election”, the statement said.
