I will swim and sink with PDP, says Uduaghan

Dr_Emmanuel-_Uduaghan

Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, Delta State Governor

JETHRO IBILEKE/Asaba

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of Nigeria’s Delta State has declared his unyielding love for the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), saying that he will swim and sink with the party, if need be.

The governor debunked recent media reports that he had concluded plans to defect from the PDP in order to realise a purported senatorial ambition on the platform of another party.

According to him, the rumoured defection was being orchestrated by a personal staff of PDP’s national chairman, but declared that he remained “a foundation as well as a lifetime member of PDP.”

“I will swim and sink with the PDP and I want to assure you that PDP will not sink. We have had our challenges in the last few months, some people left but I am sure you know that in Delta State today, more people have joined the party.

Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, Delta State Governor
Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, Delta State Governor

“The House of Representatives member on the platform of DPP has joined PDP, all the Senators are in PDP. Almost all the members of the State House of Assembly are now in PDP. Others are just waiting to get a date to declare for PDP.

“There is just no reason for me to leave the PDP for another party. In the history of the party in Delta there is no time that we have been more united than now which showed in the last senatorial election in Delta central where we swept all the wards and we will do it again in subsequent elections,” he declared.

He added that the new strategy of the party was to mobilise for membership at the grassroots and concentrate on retaining such members.

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“Today, no matter who you are, if you do not attend the monthly meeting of the party in your ward you will be sanctioned. The new directive is go back to your ward. PDP is the only party that started over 14 years and it is still bearing that name. Every other party has changed its name, some are dead but PDP remains PDP,”he maintained.

On his rumoured Senatorial ambition, the governor declared that there was an unwritten understanding on zonal arrangement for the Senatorial seat in Delta South Senatorial District where he hails from, adding that the said gentlemen arrangement favoured his Itsekiri ethnic nationality in the 2015 senatorial election.

“I come from Delta South and in Delta South there is an unwritten zonal arrangement for the senatorial seat and for the election of 2015 that unwritten arrangement gives it to the Itsekiri. And I am from Itsekiri ethnic nationality.”

He however stated that he was not new to contesting elections in the state, as he had contested the polls at various circumstances when he emerged victorious, adding that “when it comes to contesting election, I think I have a lot to offer.

He noted that though there was pressure on him to contest the senatorial, his priority at the moment was to concentrate on the assignments at the national level.

“I have grown in the politics of Nigeria to be very active at the national level. I am very active on issues that have to do with Nigeria and the PDP at the national level. That is my pre-occupation now.

“We have challenges at the national level which made some of my colleagues to move out of the party. But I will remain in the party and I am determined to correct those ills which made them to leave,” the governor vowed.

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