Delta Central: 10 aspirants jostle for Ewherido’s seat

[Mirror]

There are indications that subtle campaigns by some political parties to elect the successor of late Senator Pius Ewherido, who represented Delta Central Senatorial District of Delta State in the Senate until his death on June 30, might have begun in the state.

Already, three major political parties in the state, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Democratic Peoples Party, DPP and Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, are jostling to produce Ewherido's successor.

The late senator won the 2011 National Assembly on the platform of the DPP.

Although the Senate is yet to formally declare his seat vacant as required by law to enable the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to fix the date for the bye-election, National Mirror gathered that the three political parties had begun nocturnal activities to fill the vacancy created by the death of Ewherido.

To this end, 10 persons across the three political parties are being touted to be interested in the seat. The ruling party in the state, PDP has four aspirants.

Those waiting in the wing to continue from where Ewherido stopped in the PDP include Chief Ighoyota Amori, who was roundly defeated by late Senator in the 2011 election.

Others on the platform of PDP are the member of the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2011, Hon. Alims Agoda; Political Adviser to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, Chief Fred Majemite and Chief Andrew Oru.

Former Governor James Ibori and Uduaghan are reported to be supporting Amori, who is presently senior political adviser to the state governor. For now DPP topped the contenders with five aspirants.

The son of a business mogul and renowned accountant, Chief David Dafinone, Ede; a Warri-based businessman, Chief Richard Odibo, former member of the House of Representatives, Chief Napoleon Gbinijie, one Chief Agharome and one Mr. Abel Edijala, are the contenders on the platform of the DPP. But it was learnt that the leader of the party in the state and DPP governorship candidate, Chief Great Ogboru, is disposed to Odibo to fly the flag of the party in the election.

Findings by National Mirror showed that Ogboru was afraid that if Ede Dafinone combines his status as a federal lawmaker with the wealth of his father, he may be difficult to tame not to contest the 2015 governorship election.

It was learnt that a prominent banker, Chief O'tega Emerhor, is angling to seek nomination on the platform of the main opposition party in the country, ACN. Emerhor, who dumped DPP for the yet to be registered All Progressive Congress, APC, following irreconcilable difference with Ogboru, is said to be reaching out to notable Urhobo ethnic and political leaders to achieve his aspiration.

DPP's Chairman in the state, Chief Tony Ezeagwu told National Mirror on phone yesterday that the party would retain the seat as a mark of honour to the departed senator.

"Our member, who died has been buried and we have put the past behind us, so that by the grace of God we can win the bye-election. The greatest honour we can do to Ewherido is to ensure that DPP retains his seat and we are working hard to retain that seat," Ezeagwu added.

National Mirror