By Omoghene Benedict
Ahead of the 2023 governorship election in Delta State, a social political pressure group, Ijaw Mandate Group, IMG, has called on the people of Delta South and North senatorial districts to collapse their agenda for Delta Central to produce the next governor of the state for equity sake.
IMG had in a communique, at Ughelli North local government areas, disclosed that their actions is not anti-Ijaw but for better Delta as it called on the Ijaws to wait for it’s turn to produce the governor in 2031 when it will be the turn of Delta south.
The gathering had in attendance thousands of Ijaw politicians drawn from Bomadi, Patani, Burutu, Warri South West and Warri North Local Government areas of the state.
The National Coordinator of the Iraq Mandate Group, Hon. Dagidi Andaye, in communiqué urged aspirants of Ijaw extraction to wait patiently for 2031 at it has have unequivocally resolved that it was the turn of Delta Central Senatorial District to produce the next Governor of Delta state.
It was not yet time for the Ijaw Ethnic Nationality to produce the governor of the state and we are calling the Ijaw people in the spirit of their collective brotherhood, jettison their 2023 Governorship ambition.
“The clamour for Ijaw 2023 governorship which is apparently a run against the tide by some groups is not out of order, constitutionally speaking, but our avowed resolve to support the DC-23 course is borne out of an evaluation and understanding of the current political trend of events in the state that is obviously not in favour of a Delta South Senatorial District aspirant.
“It is, therefore, our resolve, which is Pan Delta in nature, and should not be misconstrued as anti-Ijaw, but should be viewed from the angle of consequence of constructive analysis and evaluation of the political culture in the state as it affects the interest and political survival of the ljaw Ethnic Nationality in the state.
“Thus, our conscious pragmatic strategy to propagate the deliberate protection of the ljaw 2031 governorship interest in the state should not be misunderstood on the altar of political jobbing.”
The group had also in the communique called on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to, as a matter of political expediency, convoke a conference of Pan Delta State ethnic nationalities to make a formal declaration emphasizing the need and importance of an unbreakable senatorial zoning formula for the governorship of the state henceforth in the interest of inclusive participation of all ethnic groups in the governance of the multi-ethnic but indivisible state bonded by God almighty.
