It started as a rumour recently. The occasion where the news was spurned was the burial ceremony of William Ibori in Oghara as most members of the PDP family converged on Oghara to lighten the burden of Chief James Ibori, who was burying his elder brother.
I pulled a phone call to Senator James if actually there was any discussion as to whether he could step down for any other contender in the 2019 race to the Senate.
When he spoke, the voice was slightly faint. ‘I am in far- away Ankara, Turkey on an official trip.’ He told me emphatically that there was nothing like him stepping down for anyone. ‘The story may have emanated from the fertile imagination of persons who thought I could step down for anyone else.’
Speaking in Izon to me, he said, ‘Egbage tara buwo ke emi keton. Ekeni pelle ma buwo ko emi ke ton’. Egbage in Izon means a three legged fire place gadget meant to support cooking pots on fire. ‘Nobody has any powers to ask me to step down in my senatorial dream.’
With his determination to clinch the electoral victory at the polls, this will make him a top ranking Senator. Chief James Manager’s political career had been one long successful one which has kept him going on without fear or hindrance.
He started as Chairman of Bomadi local government council and after a brief spell he was appointed a Commissioner by Felix Ibru. It followed later with another appointments as Commissioner for Works under chief James Ibori and that uplifted him as a performing Commissioner whose tenure saw the building of the Bomadi Bridge which was Governor Ibori’s hallmark project that opened up more roads into the Bomadi and Burutu local government areas of Delta state. For this revolutionary linkage bridge, most Izons are happy with James Ibori and James Manager. You may which to call it a tale of two Jameses.
James Manager is a hard -boiled politician who knows his onions. Some prefer to call him a political maverick or mathematician, who knows how to play his cards to ensure his continuous victories.
The argument for his continuous return to the Senate stems from the fact that he relies, essentially, on his captive zones and local governments.
Apart from the three local governments of Patani, Bomadi and Burutu, he has an inroad to his maternal side in Isoko – Oleh and Ozoro. Sen James Manger has a strong hold on Warri South West with its headquarters at Ogbeijoh with a sprinkling of Izons in Warri North for votes that could be favourable to him.
Most of the elections in Delta are based essentially on tribal sentiments and such solidified sentiments would be difficult to change soon. The general approach to politics is one of ‘THIS IS OUR OWN’ and good or bad, the support for their own is water-tight.
Out of the eight local governments in Delta South, whoever is able win majority votes in at least five of the local governments could coast home in the election easily.
The Delta South senatorial blues is to be fought between Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, a former governor of the state. He is an ethnic Itsekiri, going in to the battle on the APC platform.
James Manger, the incumbent Senator representing the Delta south is an ethnic Izon and going to the battle on the PDP platform.
It is going to be so keenly contested and watched by both the Federal government controlled by the APC and the Delta state government controlled by the PDP. Who blinks first in the forthcoming elections into the Senate could open the eyes of observers and poll watchers.
The contest does not have to descend into the old time rivalry between Izons and Itsekiris, which, in the past, led to ethnic flares on both sides, leading, in some cases, to the burning of cars and homes in the Warri axis by the two former ethnic foes. Today, the two sides have made some semblance of peace and brotherly love in Warri metropolis.
Perhaps, the old saying that there are no permanent friends or enemies in politics but permanent interests is playing out here. Let the forthcoming Manager/ Uduaghan contest not provoke ancient and recent ethnic conflicts as they are both noble sons of Delta state.
Histolically, the senators that have served in Delta south senatorial district include, Justice Atake from Itsekiri, Senator Stella Omu from Isoko and briefly Sen Dr. E.K. Clark, an Izon and Francis Spanner Okpozo an Isoko. Let the Senatorial campaigns begin and give us the candidate of the choice of the voters. Whoever wins should extend his hand of fellowship to congratulate the person who emerges as the choice of the people.
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