Governor Uduaghan: bows out of Senate arce

Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan and his Enugu state counterpart, Sullivan Chime have dumped their ambitions to gun for the senate.

Uduaghan was eyeing Delta South Senatorial seat and he said he was quitting to allow a peaceful electoral process and transition. By quitting, he has left the field clear for Senator James Manager to get a return ticket.

Chime too stepped aside, having lost woefully to Senator Ike Ekweremadu, the deputy senate president in the power play to control the PDP in the state. Chime was planning to unseat Ekweremadu in Enugu West, but Ekweremadu proved a superior match.

Addressing a press conference in Asaba to announce his withdrawal, Governor Uduaghan said he was stepping aside in the general interest of the state and democracy at large.

“The first agenda of my administration is peace and security and I will not do anything that will threaten the peace, I am determined to bequeath a peaceful state, the worst thing that can happen is to be part of the security challenges. I have offered to step down from the Senatorial race to ensure that the tension is reduced and in the overall interest of peace and security in the state.”

Sullivan Chime:surrenders to Ekweremadu

“I bought my forms, I have been screened and cleared for the Senatorial seat and as the person in charge at the state level, I have always appealed that elections must not be a do or die affair, unfortunately, there have been a lot of political and ethnic tension that is threatening the peace and security of the state, which has been noticed even at the national level,” the Governor said.

“Anybody who believes he must get to a position with the loss of life is inhuman, I will not want to have anything that will lead to the loss of life, now that I am out of the race, it gives me more leverage to manage the transition and more time to be involved in national issues.”

Dr Uduaghan stated that the interest of the state supersedes personal interest.

Fielding questions from journalists, Governor Uduaghan disclosed that he was not forced to withdraw from the senatorial race, reiterating, “nobody has forced me to step down, I owe it to Deltans for the peace and security of the state.”

Chime said he withdrew from the contest saying he did so in the interest of the party.

The chief press secretary to the governor, Barr Chukwudi Achife, said the governor took the decision not to run in the “interest of the party” as party interest overrides the interest of any politician or group.