LAGOS FEBRUARY 16TH (URHOBOTODAY)-The recent statement by former Delta State Governorship aspirant, Dr Braduce Angozi that Urhobo should stay clear of 2023 Governor has come under attack by Urhobo indigenes.
Angozi in the publication has stated that it is the turn of Ijaw to produce Delta Governor in 2023, adding that having produced the state governor twice, Urhobo do not have any stake in Delta Governor in 2023.
Reacting to the claim of Braduce Angozi, the coordinator of An advocate of Solidarity Movement For Urhobo Governor 2023(ASMUG), Ediri Aphiare who said he was shocked by the statement of Angozi regarding the rotational policies of governance in Delta State, pointed out that it is important to note that if not for the zoning arrangement Itsekiri ( Delta South)would have not tasted power and Ika (Delta North) would have not tasted power.
He argued that the movement of power is suppose to tend towards Delta central entirely made up of urhobo people in 2023.
“ I understand your plight sir, be patient and wait for 2031 when it will move to Delta south again then you can now lobby the itsekiris and the Isokos. Please don’t take the Urhobo peolpe for granted we are the most tolerable ethnic nation in Nigeria and other State of the Federation should borrow a leaf from the Urhbo people that has been marginalized and have the potentials to succeed but kept quiet for the sake of peace fairness and equity.I will like to refer you to the Tiv and Kanuri political dominance of Benue and Borno State respectively,” he told Angozi.
Victor Ese Anya described Angozi claim as laughable. According to him,“Dr. Braduce Angozi who made this provocative statement by calling on the Urhobos not to contest the governorship in 2023 should be bold to tell the whole world whether his kinsman, former President Goodluck Jonathan would have become president if the leadership of Nigeria was based on tribe. All the states in Nigeria are divided into three senatorial zones hence the governorship position is rotated among the three zones in each state.
“Why is Dr. Angozi talking about tribe now? If we were to talk about tribe, the Delta South where Dr. Angozi hailed from would not have produced the governor in 2007. It would have remained in Delta Central for the people of Okpe, Sapele,Ethiope, Udu, Ugievwe etc that have various dialects to have produced the governor before it will go to other tribes. Is Dr. Angozi saying that the governorship position should remain in Delta North so that all the tribes in that senatorial district will produce the governor before it goes to other senatorial district? After all, there are many tribes in Delta North just as we have them in Delta South.
“There are certain utterances elderly people don’t make. One thing should be made clear, no tribe is weak, that the Urhobos are peace loving people shouldn’t be taken for weakness. The gentility of a leopard is not weakness.”.