Delta 2023: Ijaw Frowns At PDP Caucus, Insists ‘We Cannot Be Shut Out From Guber Race’

Ijaw ethnic nationality, on Sunday, expressed displeasure over the manner the issue of governorship zoning was raised at the last PDP Delta State caucus, where it appears the caucus was panning towards the Delta Central senatorial district to produce Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s successor.

Former Minister of Police Affairs, Alaowei Broderick Bozimo, who gave the views of the ethnic group, said the Ijaws cannot be prevented from contesting the Delta State governorship election in the guise of zoning the ticket as being canvassed by the PDP caucus.

He spoke when he led a high-powered delegation of notable Ijaw sons and daughters to Ika South and Ika North East Local Government Areas of Delta State in continuation of the group’s consultative visit.

He said that the Ijaw nation cannot be ambushed politically with intent to shut them out of their 2023 governorship quest.

Bozimo who is the leader of the Delta Ijaw for Governor 2023 Lobby Team, in a statement in Warri, said the Ijaw nation was quite unhappy over the manner the issue of zoning was raised at the PDP Delta State caucus meeting that took place in Asaba prior to the PDP mega rally.

He frowned at the failure of the party to issue a prior notice about the agenda of the meeting, saying “there was no notice that the issue of zoning was going to be discussed.

“The Ijaw people cannot be shut out, we believe in inclusive government,we believe in the PDP because it is a people oriented party.

“I can’t imagine a situation where they would have prevented the Ijaw nation that we could not field a candidate.

“We don’t want ambush, to say it is only the Urhobos that should contest amount to changing the goal post in the middle of the game.

“It is better that we all go to the field to test our popularity and not for any zone to pretend that they are anointed, we will not tolerate that anointing, it must be a level play field for the Ijaw nation”.

“Urhobos have always contested every governorship primaries and to imagine that the ijaw nation will be excluded, people who have been loyal to the state, loyal to Nigeria, especially loyal to the Governor to be shut out from a level playing contest would have been a disaster for the state and country”, he said.

He said that the Ijaws have demonstrated loyalty to Governor Okowa in 2014 when the Ijaw nation stood by him and have promised to ensure he finished strong.

“When we voted for Ibori we did not make any commitment,we voted for Uduaghan there was no commitment and the ijaws supported Senator Okowa. Our loyalty has never been questioned and we demonstrated it profusely when we stood devotedly for Senator Okowa”, he maintained.

Earlier, the Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party PDP, Ika South Local Government Area, Hon. Jude Onyia, who spoke at the party secretariat in Agbor on behalf of the leaders and stakeholders, said that the people will follow Okowa’s decision and political directive on the 2023 governorship contest as the leader of the party in the area but wished the ijaws well in their governorship quest.

In Ika North East, a former member of the defunct Bendel State House of Assembly and member of the Delta State Advisory and Peace Building Council, Chief Ignatius Agibi  thanked the Ijaw nation for their unalloyed support to Governor Okowa, adding that the stability and peace witnessed in the state can be largely attributed to the cooperation of the Ijaw people.