By Our Correspondent
A political lobby group, Better Delta State, on Wednesday called on state politicians to support the ambition of governor of the Ijaw ethnic group in the 2023 elections for fairness and justice.
A statement from the group’s executive director, Dr Isaac Obominuru, said the appeal had become necessary after a critical study of the political scene since the return to democracy in May 1999.
Obominuru noted that political representation in Delta had tended to undermine broad principles that supported civility and political probity, especially with regard to the system of rotation in the state.
“In more than twenty-two years of democratic experience, a crucial question including the political context of its production, there has been a gratuitous and arbitrary interference with the aspiration for Governor Ijaw in the politics of Delta State, ”he said.
The executive director said that the Ijaw can be factored into the number of registered voters allocated to it by a tracking indicator provided by the Independent National Election Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2015 governorate elections.
“An interesting feature of this study reveals that the actual electoral district in the northern and central senatorial districts continues to show a strange decline in the median due to voter apathy, and flattens down to a level as low as 40 to 64%.
“But those in the Ijaw enclave continue to register up to 68 to 93 percent turnout from registered voters.
“This study provides an existential clue why the clamor for a proposal for Governor Ijaw should be taken into account as an instructive political instrument during the election for governor of Delta State.
“Analysis derived from this study points to a familiar story that should arouse political curiosity for any serious observer of the ethnic breakdown of voters in Delta State,” Obominuru said.
He said that a candidate for governor Ijaw should be supported as a strategy to politically appease a people who have known and endured the pain and agony of neglect, exploitation, degradation, disenchantment and disillusionment. cynicism.
The political scientist further said that given the sentiments already expressed, it would make political sense to target the Ijaw ethnic bloc which had shown a political character in its right to lead.
“To this end, I appeal to His Excellency Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, to ‘demystify and repudiate the selfish and ideological false representations of those in power to come back to the center”.
“He recognizes that this should be a daunting task, as it places His Excellency in a potential confrontation with this external domination and the class she represents, both of which are more intolerant of the challenges than ever before.”
“Rather than planning wars of attrition against each other in the run-up to elections, I advise the People’s Democratic Party to do what is right.
“It won’t always be about who is right, but what is right. That it take a principled position like the National Executive Council (NEC) recently did on zoning.
“Let him start forging bonds to stay honest, maintain his purpose, gain clarity and make the most of his resources against enemies and tasks that seem more daunting every day,” he added.
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