The immediate past Governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan, has formally announced his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Uduaghan was appointed Delta State Commissioner of Health by former Governor James Ibori in 1999 and Secretary to the State Government (SSG) in 2003.

Uduaghan, a founding member of the PDP and Delta South Senate aspirant in 2019 confirmed his defection at a meeting of the APC national caucus held at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday. The meeting was attended by leaders of the party including national officers, state Governors, former state Governors, ministers and National Assembly members.

Speaking on reasons for his defection, Uduaghan in a statement entitled “Moving on to the Bigger Playing Field” said with his desire to attract development and bring a permanent solution to the Niger Delta crisis, the APC is the only platform he can achieve his aims for the region judging from its progressiveness and the leadership style of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Justifying his defection, the 63-year-old there has been an encouraging interest and activities by President Buhari to bring a permanent solution to the Niger Delta crisis, which has pointed in a direction that is at once progressive and developmental.

“Rather than using the military to harass our people, the Buhari administration has embarked on various engagement processes that have led to agreements and brought hope to the people of the Niger Delta,” he said.

Uduaghan started nursing the ambition to represent Delta South in the Senate towards the tail end of his tenure in 2015 but was truncated through the unsubstantiated threats from the incumbent Senator, James Manager and Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as ‘Tompolo’.

Further investigation by our correspondent revealed that, as part of Itshekiri’s plan to get the position at all cost, the kingdom has already perfected plans to have their way if the Party ticket is not given to them. Mr. Ayiri Emami, an APC Chieftain and Ologbotsere of Warri kingdom has positioned Uduaghan to run for the Senate under the platform of APC, if Governor Okowa was not ready to cede that position to Itshekiri., a development seen by many as fight to finish by the Itsekiris.

Their assumption was that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is also said not to be comfortable with the Uduaghan going to the Senate over the role he played during the 2015 Governorship election when he supported another aspirant during the primaries hence the need to project his helmsman from the axis to dislodge the immediate past Governor, a development credible sources says was a plan to set the Uduaghan parking from politics in the State.

Meanwhile, Senator James Manager, incumbent Senator from the Senatorial District has affirmed that he would beat anyone in the Senate race with him including Uduaghan who is also jostling to unseat him.

Manager said he wouldn’t prevent or appeal to any aspirant to step down for him because under a fair democratic process he is sure of beating them all. The lawmaker, who is representing Delta South Senatorial District in the Senate, said that he remains the candidate to beat in the race, expressing hope that both Ijaw, Isoko and Itsekiri people would unite to vote him again come 2019.

Apart from Uduaghan, two Special Assistants to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State and over 5, 000 members of the PDP in the state recently defected to the APC. The defectors who vowed to team up with other APC leaders to “rescue the state from the grips of the PDP,” accused the administration of Okowa of “lacking the foresight to develop the state’’.

•Sourced from a Daily Independent report