EXCLUSIVE: Delta Governor, James Manager In Shouting Match Over Delta South Senate Seat … Manager Set To Obtain PDP Nomination Forms … Bickering Suggests Delta PDP May Implode If Brewing Crisis Is Not Managed SAN FRANCISCO, October 28 (THEWILL) – With barely three weeks to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Assembly primary, the two main contenders for the Delta South Senatorial District ticket, incumbent Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and serving Senator, Mr. James Manager, Both contenders are yet to reach a deal and instead had a heated exchange before a bewildered President Goodluck Jonathan a few days ago, inside the President’s residence in Abuja, THEWILL can authoritatively report. Senator Manager, the President’s tribesman (Ijaw), is serving out his third term at the senate and wants another term, while Governor Uduaghan, who is on the verge of completing his second term as Governor wants to go to the senate. However, in what appears to be a prelude to a major showdown as the party heads to the primaries season, THEWILL gathered that even though there was an unwritten agreement that the senate seat for the zone should rotate between the tribes in the district after two terms of four years each, Manager is insisting on returning to the senate despite pressures from Uduaghan to step down. Sources close to Governor Uduaghan told THEWILL that the Governor had before scheduling a meeting with President Jonathan met privately with Mr. Adamu Muazu, the National Chairman of the ruling party and Senator Manager where after Manager was allegedly promised a political appointment at the federal level in exchange for another term at the Senate. The source said it was based on this discussion that Uduaghan asked Manager to meet with him one night at the Delta State Governor’s lodge in Abuja, where upon arrival they drove in the governor’s car to the Presidential Villa, where unknowingly to Manager Uduaghan had planned to formally inform the president of his senatorial bid and that Manager had agreed not to seek a fourth term. However, another source close to Senator Manager, who confided in THEWILL, said Manager and Uduaghan had never discussed anything concerning the Delta South Senatorial race. However, things didn’t go as Uduaghan had expected at the meeting between them and the President, THEWILL was told. After exchanging pleasantries with President Jonathan, Uduaghan reportedly spoke glowingly of Manager, telling the President that the senator had conceded his seat at the senate to him and urged the President to give him a top federal government job when re-elected as President in 2015. Just before the Delta Governor could finish his speech, Manager reportedly cut in and denied having any talks with the governor on the Delta South senate seat talk more of conceding the seat to him. “This was when the brawl started between the two politicians and all hell broke loose,” this news site was told. “Uduaghan was very furious and felt embarrassed because he had told the President that he had closed the deal with Manager,” our source at the Presidency said, adding that it took the intervention of the President before peace was restored. According to the source, “The President advised both men to go find a way around their problem and report back to him when they have deal.” The source however added that before their departure, “Uduaghan and Manager apologised to the President before they departed the villa.” THEWILL sources say Senator Manager will between today and Wednesday obtain the PDP nomination forms for the senate. The party has set October 30, 2014 as deadline for the purchase of forms. It is not clear whether Governor Uduaghan has purchased the forms. “Manager has told key political figures in the state that he is returning to the senate, saying Uduaghan can take the federal government job if he wants. He said if Uduaghan wants to go the senate badly then he should hand him the governorship of the state and he would gladly concede the senate seat to him,” the source said in laughter. The clash between the governor and the senator highlights the fluid political atmosphere in the Delta State chapter of the PDP as the tension between the political class and governor reaches a crescendo over his imposition of two unpopular governorship aspirants (Mr. Anthony Obuh, a recently retired bureaucrat in the state’s civil service and Mr. Charles Emetulu, who a few days ago, resigned as Commissioner of Energy), as his preferred successor. THEWILL had earlier reported that a chieftain of the PDP and elder statesman, Chief E.K Clark, Sunday took a swipe at the governor over his imposition bid warning that the party could implode. “People should learn from history… In December 2006 the present Governor was imposed on us and we said NO! And we went to Agbor on the 29th of January 2007 and had a meeting at Dr Cairo Ojougboh’s hotel. Many people attended and we moved from there to Abuja… the battle continued, we pitched our camp at Transcorp Hilton. Every aspirant was there but after sometime, some fell by the wayside, we told them goodbye and we continued the fight. At the end, you saw what happened! So nobody should think of repeating what happened in 2007!” he warned.
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 16:27:38 +0000
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