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Chief Great Ogboru was today, Monday, 1/10/2018, returned as the candidate of a faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that will fly the party’s flag in the governorship elections of 2019.
His declaration ended a long and tenuous process of governorship primary that saw only Chief Great Ogboru, from Delta Central being the only aspirant whose delegates took part in the voting process at the Federal College of Education (Technical), venue of the primary.
Although others, such as Prof. Pat Utomi, Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei, and Dr Cairo Ojougbo, all from Delta North senatorial district was supposed to contest, their absence and those of their delegates were loudly visible.
While sources hinted that the absence of the other aspirants may not be unconnected with their decision to boycott the event following the resort to violence and the use of thugs and sporadic shootings that made the venue unsafe for people to stay, efforts to get the Chairman of the APC electoral Committee that conducted the election, Major General Lawrence Onoja (rtd) could not yield results, as the Chairman refused to grant journalists a moment to ask him questions.
Journalists had sought to ask Maj. Gen Onoja, why the other aspirants and their delegates boycotted the Delta State governorship primary; they wanted to know the reason for the shootings on Monday night that got many people scared and run for safety out of the venue of the primary. Journalists wanted to know if a primary conducted by him and received such a massive boycott by opponents of Chief Ogboru if it would be right to say that the exercise was peaceful, fair and credible.
The counting of the votes ended at about 4 p.m., followed by the declaration of results, which Maj. Gen. Onoja announced as follows:
Chief Great Ogboru, polled a total of 3,292 votes being the highest, followed by Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei – 160 votes, Prof. Pat. Utomi – 26 votes, and Dr. Cairo Ojougbo – 12 votes.
Maj. Gen. Onoja as the returning officer, said: “ I have never seen an election where an aspirant scored 99 per cent of votes. Let me thank the people of Delta state, especially our APC members for ensuring a peaceful and hitch free primary election. The kindest human beings are in Delta state. And therefore, by the power conferred on me, I Major Gen. Lawrence Onoja hereby declare Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru, having scored the highest number of votes in the election is returned as the gubernatorial candidate of APC “
Speaking, Chief Ogboru thanked the people for reposing their confidence in him. He then called on his opponents to join forces with him to establish a new Delta. “They should see it as a game; it is not a warfare; I offer them the opportunity to join our ship of the home for a new Delta,” Chief Ogboru said.
There was an enhanced presence of various security agencies, including a large contingent of the police and the other security outfits in the place. A situation that sources attributed to the need to keep peace and security of lives and prevent a recurrence of the scenes of insecurity witnessed the previous night when thugs got engaged in sporadic shootings.