Crisis Rocks Urhobo Progress Union as Faction Picks Ogboru as Candidate
LAGOS FEBRYARY 3RD (URHOBOTODAY)-The Urhobo umbrella body in Delta State, the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), has adopted Labour Party (LP) govenorship candidate Chief Great Ogboru for the February 28 election.
The endorsement, according to UPU’s President General Joe Omene, followed series of consultations with the 24 kingdoms’ leaders of Urhobo nation, their womenfolk (Eghweya), the traditional rulers, the leaders and elders and the youth wing.
Omene said of the 14 members of the executive, who voted at the meeting, 10 supported Ogboru and four voted for All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Chief O’tega Emerhor.
But another faction, led by First Vice President-General Chief Tuesday Onoge, faulted the decision.
The Onoge-led faction noted that the decision of the Omene-led faction negated the controversial Uvwiamughe Declaration, a resolution of the Urhobo Assembly, which sought the election of an Urhobo politician as governor.
The declaration, which was made last February, stated that the Urhobo would vote en bloc for either the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or the All Progressives Congress (APC), depending on which of them gave its governorship ticket to an Urhobo candidate.
The disagreement among UPU’s leaders reached a crescendo on Sunday evening when the Onoge-led faction refused to follow Omene’s declaration of Ogboru.
A member of the Onoge faction, who spoke in confidence, said the Omene group had been planning to force the UPU to adopt President Goodluck Jonathan, although the PDP did not give its ticket to Urhobo’s adopted candidate.
He also alleged that Omene flouted the declaration by placing Ogboru, whose party was never part of the declaration, against the choice of the APC candidate.
Sunday’s closed-door meeting at Omene’s Mosogar home was deadlocked. Onoge’s faction walked out.
A few minutes later, Omene announced that those who stayed back with him had chosen Ogboru.
But the Onoge faction accused him of imposing his will on the Urhobo, adding that he had been removed as UPU’s president-general.
Onoge was appointed by members of his faction as the acting UPU’s president-general.
A statement by Onoge in Warri, which was read yesterday by his faction’s Assistant Publicity Secretary, Mumakai Unagha, reads: “…Chief Omene seems determined to make a mockery of the Urhobo by dumping the sacred and collective will of the people as expressed in the Uvwiamuge Declaration.
“In spite of the directives by the forum of Ivies (kings) and Urhobo clergy to the contrary, he is determined to coerce and rush the Urhobo into a fatal decision to support the PDP/Jonathan, Labour/Ogboru tickets, which are alien to the Uvwiamuge Declaration, when PDP failed to give its governorship ticket to an Urhobo and LP is not a national party.”
The statement also accused Omene’s camp of endangering Urhobo’s collective interest in the rush to push Urhobo endorsement of the PDP/Jonathan ticket before the outcome of the presidential election against the advice and position of well-meaning Urhobo.
It added: “Not knowing which party will win the presidential election, the imminent danger is that in the event of a miscalculation, the Urhobo will be in the opposition and elongated suffering.
“UPU will stand firm and uphold the honour and integrity of Urhobo people by not abandoning the Uvwiamuge Declaration and to accord its beneficiaries full recognition.
“Accordingly, the qualifying ticket of APC/Gen. Muhammadu Buhari/Emerhor is hereby endorsed by the UPU.”
Nation
It is disheartening to see how my great Urhobo nation has fallen or IS IT ABOUT TO FALL? I do not really see the wisdom in making the Uwviamuge’s declaration sacrosanct if present political calculations do not support it. Also I do not see the basis of preferring Buhari to Our own son Jonathan, even the latter has been said to have neglected the Urhobo nation as a president. I do not Buhari will do better, if he ever gets there. One could not really understand the rationale behind Chief Onoge’s faction declaring the REMOVALl of Chief Omene over the endorsement – we are told that 10 out of the 14 voters at the UPU meeting favoured Jonathan/Ogboru combination, this is quite disappointing as it suggests that the UPU has been infiltrated, more so that a group has sent a congratulatory message to Chief Onoge over his “new appointment” as the acting PG of the great UPU.
I wish to appeal to my able UPU leaders to handle the issue on our hands with a great caution, 2015 elections will come and go but our URHOBO remains. UPU can not afford to make itself a laughing stock to other ethnic groups.
WE MUST DO A SERIOUS THINKING NOW.
It is disheartening to see how my great Urhobo nation has fallen or IS IT ABOUT TO FALL? I do not really see the wisdom in making the Uwviamuge’s declaration sacrosanct if present political calculations do not support it. Also I do not see the basis of preferring Buhari to Our own son Jonathan, even the latter has been said to have neglected the Urhobo nation as a president. I do not believe that Buhari will do better, if he ever gets there. One could not really understand the rationale behind Chief Onoge’s faction declaring the REMOVAL of Chief Omene as PG of UPU over the endorsement – we are told that 10 out of the 14 voters at the UPU meeting favoured Jonathan/Ogboru combination, this is quite disappointing as it suggests that the UPU has been infiltrated, more so that a group has sent a congratulatory message to Chief Onoge over his “new appointment” as the acting PG of the great UPU.
I wish to appeal to my able UPU leaders to handle the issue on our hands with a great caution, 2015 elections will come and go but our URHOBO remains. UPU can not afford to make itself a laughing stock to other ethnic groups.
WE MUST DO A SERIOUS THINKING NOW.
It is very shameful to see Chief Onoge being used by PDP to infiltrate UPU. UPU action on Sunday was a total display of democratic norms and ethics. Therefore, since the voting was 10 to 4, Chief Omene has won. Democracy is a game of number. The majority carry the vote. Urhobo people are solidly behind Chief J Omene. He has won.
Warning: PDP is using APC to weaken and divide Chief G Ogboru’s Labour Party vote.Some Urhob Traditional Rulers and greedy politicians have sold out but Chief G Ogboru will still win the Governorship election. Chief Onoge & Co travellers should be expelled from UPU
Chief G Ogboru has a date with destiny and no power or force of any kind can reverse this again
wy urhobo are selling ogboru out of money and president general upu jos omene
Let us try 2 tell ourselves the bitter truth,if in 14 man panel set up 2 vote 4 who d UPU wil endorse with respect 2 d 2014 general elections in d state,n 10 favoured OGBORU,n only 4 favoured O’tega,then wot exactly are we really arguein about? D UPU as far as I n Deltans are not blind,as their decisions were righty guided.It is shameful dat a prominent sons of d land are being manipulted by some parties in d state 2 ridicule d entire Urhobo nation.D UVWIAMUGE DECLARATION says an Urhobo son become d next governor of d state,was there any name mentioned with respect 2 d declaration,d UPU in her wisdom decided 2 consult,n conducted a vote in her fairness 2 d candidates concerned n OGBORU defeated EMERHOR massively.Wot wrong has D Joe Omene led UPU done?if dis land must move forward,we must learn 2 work together as a team,n redeem our true position in d state.Thanks
Clearly, the UPU has been factionalised and the people in the fray here are not only self-serving and conceited but also highly compromised.
We must be careful and make the right political calculations or else the Urhobo people will continue to be politically irrelevant as we have been in the last 8 years or so.
If we are supporting the PDP, we should go full scale for Gej/Okowa. If we want to go with APC then the Buhari/Omerhor option should be looked into.
For me, I do not believe in the so called Uvwiamuge Declaration. It sounds archaic and backward for a few individuals to play the ethnic card, all for their selfish interests.
This same Omene crew was spitting fire and threatening to Undermine GEJ in 2015 until the president invited them to Aso Rock in late December. When the fellows came back from the villa, they changed their tunes, and started singing a new song!
One thing I have taken from the group opposed to Omene, that is the UPU fanction is their submission that : “Not knowing which party will win the presidential election, the imminent danger is that in the event of a miscalculation, the Urhobo will be in the opposition and elongated suffering”.
I also think this line of arguement should guide our position in respect of the governorship election. We all know that for the past eight years or so, Urhobos have been consigned to the backdrop in Delta on account of our choice to battle the Ibori-imposed candidate in 2007 and 2011.
Based on PDP rotation, Delta Central will be next in line after Delta North. Therefore, we should not abandon the PDP where we command the majority in membership.