From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Two former governors of Delta State, James Ibori and Emmanuel Uduaghan, and their deputies, Benjamin Elue and Amos Utuama, are among the prominent names on the Delta State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council list published on Monday.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and PDP vice presidential candidate chairs the council with the governorship candidate and current Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Sheriff Oborevwori as deputy chairman.
Also on the list is former Commissioner of Finance and governorship aspirant, David Edevbie who recent lost his bid to be the party’s governorship candidate at the Supreme Court.
In the build-up to the May 25 primary, all efforts to have a consensus candidate failed as Okowa and Ibori differ on who should fly the party’s flag.
While Okowa opted for Oborevwori, Ibori stood with Edevbie who was the Commissioner of Finance between 1999 and 2007 when Ibori held sway as governor.
With Oborevwori winning the primary in landslide, Edevbie institute a suit at the Federal High, Abuja, challenging the eligibility of Oborevwori whom he accused of presenting false academic credentials.
Although he won at the High Court, the appellate courts upturned the ruling on the ground that the suit was premature, and reinstated Oborevwori.
Speculations were rife after the Supreme Court judgement that Edevbie and his followers were on their way out of the party.
Multiple sources hinted that the Ibori and Edevbie groups were in advanced talks with the leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and its governorship candidate, Ovie Omo-Agege on how to form a formidable alliance to wrestle power from Okowa at the polls.
An APC source had informed that Ibori has already given the APC his conditions if they want him to work for Omo-Agege.
But the publication of their names as members of the PDP campaign council might just put paid to their proposed rumoured defection or alliance with the opposition party in the state.
Meanwhile, it could not be established if they were consulted before the campaign council was coupled together but their attendance at the inauguration billed for Thursday might give credence to the fact the Delta PDP family remain intact.