President Goodluck Jonathan forces Uduaghan to withdraw from senatorial race

Source: Punch


Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan has withdrawn from the Delta South senatorial race. The Peoples Democratic Party senatorial primaries are due for Sunday.

Uduaghan, who announced his withdrawal from the race at a press conference at the Government House, Asaba, on Friday, said he decided to withdraw after a meeting convened by President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja with the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, also in attendance. But the Governor said he was not forced to withdraw from the race.

Tension had built up between his ethnic nationality, the Itsekiri and the Ijaw community, where his main opponent, Senator James Manager, hails from after both of them refused to withdraw for each
other.

He rather said he withdrew to douse political and ethnic tension that could escalate to loss of lives if he had insisted on running. He recalled that the Warri crisis of 2003 started while the primaries for the Delta South senatorial race was going on in the Warri Township Stadium. “That could have been avoided,” he said.

“Mr. President was concerned and a lot of discussion had gone on. And you know that my main agenda is peace and security. And for peace and security, I will do anything.

“I am determined that as I leave, I leave peacefully. And the worst thing is for me to even be part of the insecurity,” Uduaghan added.

He said at the meeting with Mr. President in Abuja on Friday, something had to give. “I had to make the sacrifice. I offered myself as sacrifice to ensure that there is continued peace and security in Delta State.”

“The news is that I offered to step down from the Senate race to at least ensure that the tension, the political tension that has built up in recent times is reduced,” he said.

Uduaghan said in stepping down, he was aware that his supporters could be unhappy.

“And I had to do this in the interest of the state,” he added.