A frontline chairmanship aspirant for Ughelli North local government council in the forthcoming Delta State local council election, Mr. Richard Ovweghrederohwo, who is Managing Director of Aduvie Motors, has threatened to take the leaders of the People Democratic Party (PDP) to court if they impose a candidate on the people of Ughelli
North in the March 6, 2021 elections.
Mr. Ovweghrederohwo popularly known as Aduvie made the threat during a street protest in Ughelli over a perceived plan by the party’s leaders to impose a candidate of their choice on the people against their wish.
He told newsmen that in 2017 he ran for the chairmanship position but the party leaders said that the state governor, Sen. (Dr.) Ifeanyi Okowa has asked him to back out from the race for the incumbent chairman, Godwin Adode and as a party faithful “I obeyed and this is how he was imposed on the good people of Ughelli North.”
While condemning the plans of the leaders of the party in the council area to impose a candidate on the electorate, he said it will not be accepted and will be highly resisted.
When asked should the party leaders go ahead with their plans to impose a candidate on the people, he said he will approach a competent law court to challenge the decisions of the party leaders.
While calling on the state governor and state chairman of PDP to call the leaders of the party to order, he reminded the state governor that Ughelli North PDP was not destroyed before he came into power so he should not allow it to be destroyed as he is leaving .
Also speaking, the immediate past PDP Youth Leader of the council area, Comrade Felix Olokpa harped on free and fair primary and a level playing ground for all the aspirants.
According to him, the low votes recorded in the previous elections in the council area was a result of grievances from the imposition by leaders of the party against the general will of the people.
“We need free and fair playing ground for all the aspirants in the forthcoming local government election, we don’t want imposition of candidates on the people of Ughelli anymore because it has destroyed the party, that is why we are having low vote in the council area.
“Chairman of a local government area need not to be imposed on the people he will rule, the people should be allowed to choose who to rule them but a situation where some unscrupulous leaders will hold a kangaroo meeting and impose a candidate on them will be resisted.
“When you impose a candidate on the people he will not be answerable to them and they people will not have a say over the candidate you imposed on them. But if you allow them to choose a candidate of their choice the candidate will listen to them.
“We are not against any of the aspirants neither the incumbent chairman of the council but all we
are saying is that the era of imposition is gone in Ughelli North council all the aspirants should pass through the primary.
“Any attempt to impose an aspirant or a candidate on the people of Ughelli North in the forthcoming LGA election, there will be no general election in the council area. If they want to kill us let them come and kill us, we will resist it with our last drop of blood.”
The protesters in their hundreds with placards with different inscriptions, “No primary election, No general election, local government is for the youths and the youths should be allow determine
who to be their chairman.
‘PDP is our party we need free and fair election, Ughelli north leaders take note, “Gov. Okowa please allow chairmanship candidates to go for primary in Ufghelli north for peace to reign”, barricaded the entrance to the party secretariat.
