Two UPU factions endorse Ogboru, Emerhor as Urhobo candidates

A MEETING by the apex leadership  body the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) on Sunday night  to determine who between Chief Great Ogboru and Chief O’Tega Emerhor whould be chosen as the ethnic nationality’s sole candidate in the Delta State governorship election ended in disarray,  leading to the emergence of two factions of the organisation.

  The meeting which was held behind closed-doors at the home of the President General of the UPU, Chief Joe Omene, at  Mosogar, Ethiope West council area became charged when dissenting members staged a walkout when  he  called them to vote on who becomes the Urhobo sole candidate between Emerhor of All Progressives Congress (APC) and Ogboru of Labour Party (LP).

  The walk-out was led by the UPU’s 1st Deputy President-General, Chief Tuesday Onoge.

  Omene who later addressed reporters disclosed that the consenting members who stayed behind had picked Ogboru as Urhobo sole candidate for the governorship election.

  He said his faction’s decision was supported by president-generals of communities as well as youth and women leaders in Urhobo.

  But in a statement yesterday, the other faction faction declared that Omene was removed as President-General of the UPU and his deputy (Onoge) appointed in acting capacity to succeed him. They accused Omene of imposing his personal will to undermine collective Urhobo interest.

  The statement signed by Onoge in his capacity as Acting PG and Mumakai Unagha, Assistant Publicity Secretary, stated: “After frequent visits to Aso Rock, which clearly have compromised him, Chief Omene

was now determined to make mockery of the Urhobo nation 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, a ticket

alien to the Uvwiamuge Declaration, when PDP failed to give its governorship ticket to Urhobo and Labour is not a national party.”

  The statement further accused Omene’s camp of endangering Urhobo collective interest in the rush to push Urhobo endorsement of PDP/Jonathan ticket before the outcome of the presidential election against the advice and position well meaning Urhobo people.

   It added: “Not knowing which party will the presidential election, the imminent danger is that in the event of a miscalculation, the Urhobo nation will be in opposition and elongated suffering.

  “UPU will stand firm and uphold the honour and integrity of Urhobo people by not abandoning Uvwiamuge  Declaration and to accord its beneficiaries full recognition. Accordingly, the qualifying ticket of APC/Buhari/Emerhor is hereby endorsed by UPU.”