April 19, (THEWILL) – The Delta Central chapter of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), has faulted the endorsement of Olorogun David Edevbie by the leadership of Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) as the preferred governorship candidate of the Urhobo nation.
The leadership of the UPU led by Moses Taiga, had during the weekend, endorsed Edevbie of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as its preferred candidate.
The UPU further published the endorsement in an advertorial on Page 9 of Vanguard Newspaper of 17th April.
But expresing disapproval to the “misguided”, endorsement, a press statement signed by the eight Local Government Council Chairmen in Delta Central district (Urhobo nation), described the action of the UPU as “misguided”.
The Council Chairmen, including, Richard Kofi (Ughelli South), Hon. Godwin Adode (Ughelli North), Hon. Jite Brown (Udu), Hon. Ramson Onoyake (Uvwie), Hon. Eugene Inuaghan (Sapele), Hon. Isaiah Esiowa (Okpe), Hon. Victor Ofobrukueta (Ethiope East) and Hon. Oghenedoro Owoso (Ethiope West), also asked the Union to backtrack and rescind the decision to adopt Edevbie as the preferred Urhobo candidate ahead of the PDP primaries in the interest of unity and love in Urhobo land and the entire state.
According to eight Council Chairmen, “It is clear from the advertorial which is also being circulated in the mainstream and social media that the current leadership of the UPU is being misguided.
“Our reaction therefore is to guide and passionately appeal to the the UPU leadership, whose primary duty is to promote the culture and tradition of the Urhobo people and to strictly adhere to vision and mission the founding fathers.
“Without priding ourselves, Local Government Council Chairmen who are the key political stakeholders, especially at the grassroots, which is the basic foundation of any political endeavour were not consulted or carried along.
“If we as Local Government Council Chairmen were carried along in this decision, we would have offered our candid advice and perhaps avert this adoption one aspirant among other qualified sons of Urhobo nation.
“We have been following the political development in Delta State from 1999 till date, and in the build up to the forthcoming 2023 general election with keen interest.
“We are not happy with the decision of the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU the apex socio-cultural body of Urhobo people to adopt any aspirant as the preferred candidate of the Urhobo ethnic nationality whereas we have other Urhobo sons also contesting the gubernatorial election in Delta State.
“Wisdom would have thought us from history that the UPU coming out to adopt one aspirant as its candidate against others have never ended well and therefore should be discouraged in its entirety.
“The founding fathers of the UPU did not form the Union as a Political Party, or as an extension of a Political Party nor a political pressure group, therefore is an abnormal for the body to come to the political field or gallery to poke nose let alone adopting an aspirant.
“We however advise that the role of the UPU as a socio-cultural group should be to make deliberate effort to unite its political class.
“We therefore strongly advise the UPU leadership to backtrack and rescind its decision in the interest of unity and love in Urhobo in particular and Delta as a whole.”
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