DELTA 2023: Put your House in order, Bashorun Askia tasks Urhobos ~ Truth Reporters

MANAGING Director and Chief Executive Officer of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, Bashorun Askia Ogieh, has advice the Urhobo ethnic nationality to put its house in order ahead of the 2023 governorship election in the state.

The DESOPADEC boss also expressed worries over the number of aspirants particularly of Urhobo extraction in the governorship race which he described as being “overcrowded.”

 He made his position known at his Uzere country home in Isoko South Local Government Area of the state when the leadership of the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, led by its first Vice President-General, Chief Anthony Onoharigho, paid him a consultative visit to seek his support for the quest for an Urhobo governor come 2023.

In his address to the Urhobo leaders, Bashorun Askia said: “The field appears to be overcrowded by your people (Urhobo aspirants); your children are overcrowding the field. The temperature of politics is high now, but too many of them come with a risk. 

"If you go into a royal rumble the tendency is there that the strongest man would be thrown out first and that will not be good for the Urhobos; so put your house together.

“You have come to request for my support or for my intervention at the point of decision. I know that the Urhobos as an ethnic nationality has a good case. One, you have been blessed by God that an entire senatorial district is populated by just you. So, if we are to decide by senatorial district, you have a good case, and if we are even going by ethnic nationality, when you look at the number you also have a good case.

“As you have come to me, you can see am not the only one here, when you leave, we are going to seat down, brainstorm and take decisions which I know will not be far from your request. In Isoko we have only two politicians, Askia and others.”

Earlier in his address, Capt. Onoharigho while commending the brotherly love between the Urhobos and Isokos over the years, condemned calls for ethnic rotation of the governorship position in the state saying, “the governorship of Delta state has been rotated round among the three senatorial districts, and we believe it should start from where it started and not by nationality. 

“I know very well that Askia has potential to make us have governor, Askia can talk to the governor, Askia can go anywhere, and I trust him. When he says yes, he means yes,

“The UPU President General has asked us to beg you to use your wisdom, your personality, and your political power and everything you have to let us have peace in Delta state and it is on this note that I want to personally request you to stand behind Urhobos in this quest.

Those who accompanied the UPU Vice President General include: UPU Publicity Secretary, Chief Abel Oshevire; President General of Udu Kingdom, Chief Godwin Notoma, President General of Olomu kingdom, Chief Paul Agboro; UPU Women wing, Chief Lilian Awenaghegha; President General of Arawawhrien kingdom, Chief Wilson Umukoro and a host of others.