SAN FRANCISCO, February 02, (THEWILL) – The two Labour Party, LP, members in the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Peter Okagbare Uviejitobor and Hon. Ochuko Evans Ivwurie, respectively representing Udu and Ethiope East constituencies of the state are currently under pressure to dump their party for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, or risk losing their constituency projects funds, THEWILL can report.
A reliable source at State Assembly, who spoke to THEWILL in confidence, claimed that the leadership of the House and the State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa had allegedly made it clear that unless the two lawmakers crossed-over to the PDP, their constituency projects will not be funded, a situation which the source said has placed the lawmakers in dilemma.
Our correspondent learnt that a similar scenario played out in the state in 2011, where the 10 members of State House of Assembly and National Assembly lawmakers elected on the platform of defunct Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, dumped the party and defected to the PDP and APC, while their leader and the party’s governorship candidate, Chief Great Ogboru was still pursuing his case at the Appeal Court.
The source disclosed that the lawmakers are considering dumping the LP ahead of the Supreme Court verdict on the Delta State governorship election appeal which is before the court following the judgment of the apex court in Rivers state gubernatorial case.
“Following the weak structure of the LP in the state and at the national level, remaining in the party would amount to disservice to their constituent as they will be denied what is due to them bearing in mind the type of politics played by the PDP in Delta state,” the source said.
Other sources at the state House of Assembly, who pleaded anonymity, stressed that what is keeping the two LP members from defecting to the PDP is the outcome of the LP governorship election appeal before the Supreme Court.
But a political associate of Hon. Evans Ivwurie, who crave anonymity, added that though Hon. Ivwurie came from the PDP, he would have loved to remain in the LP, but the circumstance he find himself now would not allow him to do that, because the interest of his people who elected him comes first.
“LP has a very weak structure in Delta and Ogboru as the party leader is not doing very much to consolidate the gains of the party recorded in the last election as he left most of the party candidate to their fate throughout the struggle at the tribunal and Court of Appeal.
“If not for the likes of Chief Ighoyota Amori, Hon. Uviejitobor would have not be made as one of the House leaders today, and you want him to start fighting the people who have given him so much, it is not possible and that is why you will not see the two lawmaker openly identifying with Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, because in politics your interest comes first.”
All efforts to reach Hon. Ivwurie and Uviejitobor failed as calls to their mobile phones were not answered and SMS to their phones were not replied as at the time of filing this report.
But another associate of Ivwurie, who asked not to be named, debunked the allegations, stating that it is a mere rumour.
He maintained that the Ivwurie he knows would not dump LP for the PDP, stating that with what PDP had done to him in the past when he contested on the platform; it would amount to stupidity to think that he will go back to PDP.
“What would Evans be looking for in the PDP? The party that frustrated him many times and whose members almost killed him in the last Governorship and House of Assembly election in Ethiope East Local Government Area cannot offer him anything now that he would accept.
“If you know Evans very well, he is a strong character and once he set out to do anything he does not look back. So discard the rumour that Evans will be defecting to PDP, because that would amount to him eating his vomit,” he added.
