THE words of Hon. David Umoru, former Special Adviser on Community Newspapers to outgoing Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, challenging critics to come up with a better alternative if they want him to make a u-turn on his support for the state’s PDP governorship candidate for this weekend’s elections, Senator Arthur Okowa Ifeanyi, aptly capture the general mood in the state where the PDP is being hailed for recognising the right of Delta North to take the reins of government.

Indeed, it is the turn of Delta North to produce the next governor of the state and a candidate with a track record of service delivery and hard work fits the bill.

And who says it is not the turn of Delta North to chart a course for Delta State? It cannot be otherwise, going by the principle of power rotation which is entrenched in the PDP constitution; in consideration of justice, equity and fair play, and against the backdrop of the multi-ethnic reality and the pursuit of stability and tranquility in the state.

Down memory lane…Singer, Evi Edna Ogoli, once declared in one of her popular hit songs that ‘every kilometre means another language’ while trying to capture the beauty of the cultural diversity of Delta State in the late 80s.

However, there was a flipside to this diversity, which was marginalisation. And so, amid grudges of marginalization across ethnic divides, the then Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, had carved the state out of the defunct Bendel State and christened it Delta State, naming Asaba its capital.

Indeed, Delta State is a collage of different peoples and tongues. They include the Aniocha/Oshimili, Ndokwa and Ika, collectively referred to as Anioma, the Urhobo, Itsekiri, Ijaw and Isoko ethnic nationalities. These ethnic nations are grouped into the three senatorial districts namely Delta North, Delta South and Delta Central for administrative convenience.

A review of the recent political history of the state is instructive on the turn of Delta North to rule The Big Heart. The 1999 elections saw the emergence of Chief James Onanefe Ibori of Urhobo extraction emerging governor with Dr. Benjamin Elue, from the Aniocha/Oshimili ethnic nationality as his deputy.

In what many saw as a considerable balance in the thread of leadership in the state, the 2007 gubernatorial elections ushered in Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan of the Itsekiri ethnic nationality in the Delta South Senatorial District, with Prof. Amos Utuama, from the Urhobo ethnic nationality as his deputy.

Even before the PDP primaries, there had been objective calls from diverse quarters for power shift to the Delta North Senatorial District, a very significant region in the state that sits uncomfortably in the waiting list of governors for the state.

As a demonstration of equity and fairness, the aspirant from Delta North, the only region yet to taste power, emerged the PDP candidate for the state thus setting the platform for peace and tranquility and expunging any sense of any particular tribe not belonging. The principle of power rotation, therefore, justifies the expediency of Delta North to produce the next governor.

Beyond politics, there is no gainsaying that Delta North occupies a special place in the heart of Deltans. The contribution of Anioma to the economy of the state and the nation in general as an oil and gas-producing area indeed justifies the Anioma agenda.

They are renowned for their huge oil and natural gas deposits housing prominent multinational firms operating and managing some of Nigeria’s most competitive oil and gas facilities.

Aside its economic strength, Anioma could comfortably be categorized as the most liberal and integrated sub-group in Delta State as opposed to other ethnic groups and regions in the state due to its proximity to the Urhobos and Isokos from the Delta Central and South district respectively.

The Urhobos, who are the largest ethnic group in Delta State, have shown their support for Anioma to produce the next governor of the state as demonstrated by Umoru. It is pertinent to note that the Urhobos regard the Ndokwas as their cousins because they share affinities both culturally and otherwise.

In the history of our nation, the intellectual contributions of Delta North to both state and nation-building cannot be over- emphasised. Proud sons and daughters who have strutted their stuff on both the state and national stage include Paul Enebeli (President General, Ndokwa Ethnic Nationality and National Confab Delegate), Patrick Okedinachi Utomi, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sam Amuka, Jim Ovia, Tony Elemelu, Philip Asiodu, Sony Odogwu and Prof.

John Pepper Clark, first Professor of English in Africa, poet and writer.

And as we gear up for the 2015 gubernatorial elections it is indeed the turn of Delta North to rule Delta State.

•Gabriel is the Caretaker Committee Chairman, Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria (PMAN).