The Itsekiri people of Delta State have thrown their support for former governor Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan to contest in the 2019 general elections as Senator.
The three ethnic groups that make up the Delta South Senatorial District of the State said Uguaghan’s pedigree and antecedents were reasons for the support,
Speaking recently on behalf of the ethnic group, president of the Itsekiri Movement for Good Governance (IMGG), Mr. Jolomi Oritsegbemi said aside from Uduaghan’s influence, the Itsekiri had had the least representation at the National Assembly over the years.
According to him, “It is the turn of Itsekiri to produce a senator representing Delta South and Dr. Uduaghan is the only Itsekiri man who will make us reap the dividends of democracy come 2019. He is a true son, a man of the people who believes in developments and impacting lives. Over time, he has proven this, even when he was the governor of the state for eight years. In fact, this is the kind of leader Nigerians need to move the nation forward.
“It is only the Itsekiri ethnic nationality that has not produced a senator to represent the district since 1999. In the interest of equity and fair play, this should be our turn without any arguments. It is time to prove that Itsekiri people are not made to deliberately play the second fiddle to the other tribes.”
He reminded Deltans that an Itsekiri man was last in the Senate 39 years ago.
“Itsekiri also had two federal constituencies, where Late Hon. Vincent Jemide and Late Hon. Sunny Dabor represented them. The two federal constituencies were to be reduced to one when Chief Chamberlain Abeki from Patani LGA, was appointed as national commissioner into the then Federal Electoral Commission, FEDECO,” Oritsegbemi revealed.
He added that from 1979 till the current dispensation, five senators had represented Delta South Senatorial District out of which two were from Isoko (Senator Stella Omu and Senator Francis Okpozo of blessed memory) and another two were from the Ijaw tribe (Chief E.K Clark and Senator James Manager, the incumbent), adding that the first and only senator who was from the Itsekiri stock was Chief Franklin O. M. Atake in 1979.
He alleged that the current senator representing the zone, James Manager is an Ijaw man and had been in the Senate on four consecutive terms.
“By the end of 2019, James Manager would have spent a total of 16 years in the Red Chambers and feelers from the district reveal that the people are tired of his representation.
“All the ethnic groups feel that being a position for the three groups in the Delta South, either an Isoko or Itsekiri should be favoured for the post this time around.
The group said Uduaghan withdrew from the race in 2015 to ensure that peace reigned in the state.
In a related development, Pa Daniel Pessu, a 96 year old former Delta State lawmaker has declared his support for the former governor.
Pa Pessu who represented Warri South constituency in the then Bendel State House of Assembly between 1979 and 1983 commended Uduaghan for his magnanimity towards the former lawmakers.
