Banner Online News

By Fred Akpewe

The raging debate on Governorship power shift was further expanded with the addition of Rev.Fr Ekabo who joined HRM Professor Chike Edozien and Fred Latimore to argue that power shift means the Governorship should go to Delta Central in 2023.

There is the need to emphasize that while we agree that power rotation guarantees peace, unity and harmonious co-existence among the heterogeneous stakeholders across the state,there is also the need to clarify who benefits from the peace and who gets hurt by it.

The argument for or against power shift is neither objective nor subjective.It depends on the angle one views it.Those who believe that power shift on Senatorial basis is the recipe for peace do not also know that this “peace “can translate to crises elsewhere.The argument deposed to by the Ijaws is that they have always supported the candidates presented on Senatorial basis from James Ibori to Dr Uduaghan and then Dr Okowa. Now that the three Senatorial districts have had their turn should the Ijaws be excluded from the Governorship race in 2023?

While not asking for any special privilege or concession,their simple demand is that they be allowed to run alongside other candidates from other Senatorial districts. This, according to them is the beauty of democracy.It is wrong for the Urhobos of Delta Central to ask Ijaws to wait till 2031 when the Urhobos had never waited for anybody.

The Delta Central has contested Governorship elections from 1999 till date,without exception.They therefore lack the moral right to ask any other ethnic Nationality to wait.The Asagba of Asaba has been quoted as saying that he would convoke a conference of Traditional Rulers in the state to deliberate on the issue of Power shift.

We await the outcome of this novelty and equally implore them to do a painstaking job that would satisfy the yearning of Deltans across board.