I Cannot Step Down for Emerhor, Says Ogboru

Omon-Julius Onabu

Delta State governorship candidate on the platform of the Labour Party (LP), Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru, has said that there is no iota of truth in the rumour doing the rounds that he had agreed to “step down” for the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief O’tega Emerhor.

When contacted by THISDAY to confirm the reported plan to step down and possibly decamp to the APC in a couple of days, Ogboru stated categorically that there was no ongoing negotiation whatsoever between him and Emerhor.

Speaking through his media director, Mr Doyin Iyiola, the LP gubernatorial hopeful accused the camp of his APC counterpart of running a campaign of “deliberate falsehood and misinformation of the people.”

However, the Director of Media and Political Strategy,  Emerhor campaign organisation, Dr. Fred Oghensivbe, told THISDAY, “Ogboru has finally stepped down for Emerhor as a result of the intervention by some powerful Urhobo elders”.

Oghenesivbe, who noted that there was already wild jubilation among millions of Urhobo people worldwide over the alleged decision by Ogboru, further said the LP candidate and Emerhor were expected to address a joint press conference soon even as he said plans were afoot for Ogboru to decamp to the APC.

He said: “The UPU earlier set up a high power committee to persuade Ogboru to let go of his personal interest for the general interest of the Urhobo nation in particular and Delta State in general.”

Oghenesivbe said: “It was gathered that Ogboru decided to step down for Olorogun O’tega in the spirit of Easter. There has been wild jubilation across Delta State, especially in Delta Central over this wonderful political landmark achieved by the Urhobo ethnic nationality.”

“By this arrangement, Ogboru has agreed to decamp to the APC within the next couple of days”, Emerhor’s media aide said in a statement e-mailed to THISDAY Monday night.

However, in a phone call last night to media aide Ogboru, Mr Doyin Iyiola flatly denied the claims by the APC governorship hopeful, saying the issue of whether or not the LP governorship candidate has agreed to step down for his APC counterpart did not arise at all as there were no talks or negotiations that were ongoing.

Iyiola told THISDAY, “I want to state categorically that there is absolutely no truth in the story. They are not even talking. They are not negotiating, so how could anyone talk of the Labour Party (governorship) candidate in Delta, Chief Great Ogboru, stepping down for a less popular person in the APC candidate?

“Delta people and the whole world know that Chief Ogboru is the most popular governorship candidate in the April 11th election. So, they really think they can fool the people into believing that Ogboru would step down for a less popular candidate?

“I’d simply say this smacks of desperation and lack of integrity by the APC candidate and his aides. Chief Emerhor’s camp has been engaged in a lot of campaign based on deliberate falsehood intended to deceive the good people of Delta State.

“Since the national body of the UPU (Urhobo Progress Union) endorsed the candidature of Ogboru, it has be one lie or another, but Ogboru has made it clear that he’s not disturbed by their lies because the people are solidly behind him.

“They (Emerhor and his camp) are engaged in this kind of falsehood. There is absolutely no iota of truth in the story. So, it is absolute falsehood. It is Emerhor and his people that are shamelessly misinforming the people deliberately,” Ogboru explained.