The people of Isoko seem to be wiser than their Ijaw brothers of Delta south senatorial district. While the Ijaws are busy agitating for 2023 governorship which everyone knows is for the Urhobos of Delta central, the Isokos are standing firmly behind the Urhobos. In the PDP caucus meeting which held in government house a few weeks ago, the Isoko representatives stood for zoning, hence queued behind Delta Central.
The Isoko people are not ready to join hands with their Ijaw brothers in fighting Urhobos for 2023 governorship. They know the right time and are ready to wait for the time. But the Ijaws who have only eight years to wait and claim the office without stress and battle are busy engaging in political warfare with Urhobo people who will unfailingly outdo them in the PDP primaries. Many Ijaw people have calculated this arithmetic and have openly campaigned against the move of the Ijaws with the belief that the agitation of the Ijaws, if it fails to sail through the primaries will definitely rob them the 2031 governorship.
Many Ijaw people are queuing behind prominent Urhobo aspirants in the race to Delta government house in 2023. Many Ijaw groups have openly paid allegiance to Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi and have determined to support his ambition to government house. They are of the view that it is the turn of the Urhobos and they are not willing to truncate the existing unity and peaceful co-existence in the state.
It is also believed that the Itsekiri people of the same Delta south do not align with the drive of the Ijaws in the 2023 race. The Itsekiri people do not want to truncate the system that has helped the state over the years. The only clamour some of the people have made is the new slogan “where Okowa go, we go.” And it is certain Okowa will not go the way of the Ijaws.
Though the Ijaws have a minority support in Delta North, it is not enough for the Ijaws to win the primaries of the PDP. The minority support in Delta North is evidenced in the PDP caucus meeting where it was said that Edwin Uzor, former PDP chairman, supported non-zoning of the governorship to Delta central. Certainly, he may have some others who are standing behind him.
However, this minority support cannot give Ijaw any edge over the Urhobo people. So, the Ijaws are engaging in an impossible mission, and the boat is very likely going to sink and many may drown in the political ocean. It is therefore a futile effort which will eventually lead to regret and painful disappointment.
In a recent meeting Gbagi had with Isoko PDP leaders, it became glaring that the Ijaws are going no where. The Isoko people bluntly told Gbagi that after his eight years in government house, he should handover governance to them. They must have known that the Ijaw race is a futile attempt and the Urhobos will not be so foolish to the extent of handing power to them if they continue in the agitation to the end.
This is why the Ijaws should pull out of the race now and support the foremost aspirant, Olorogun Barrister Kenneth Gbagi for the good governance of the state. The Ijaws have given various reasons which may be deemed germane to the agitation, but waiting for eight years and getting the governance on a platter of gold will be more honourable than agitating and losing painfully and shamefully with no hope of getting it in 2031.
