Delta Political Roundtable Faults UPU’s Incursion Into Politics
ASABA/Nigeria: The Delta Political Roundtable, a political pressure group in the state has condemned in strong terms the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU’s persistent and continued incursion into partisan politics.
In a statement signed by the group’s spokesman, Chief Godday Ureki and made available to the press on Tuesday, the group described the latest endorsement of Olorogun David Edevbie by the UPU as its sole candidate for the Delta State Governorship election as one embarrassment too many.
He said history is replete with series of endorsements by the UPU in the last few years which did not see the light of day.
He noted that as socio-cultural organization of over 90 years standing, the UPU should not destroy the foundation built by its founding fathers by indulging in politics.
“We have noted with dismay the UPU’s endorsement of one of the PDP aspirants for the Delta State Governorship election, Olorogun David Edevbie.
“While we do not have anything against Edevbie or any other aspirant, we consider the UPU’s endorsement as obnoxious, distasteful and objectionable because the UPU is not a political group but a socio-cultural group and therefore lacks the locus standi to carry out such endorsement.
“We have seen how the DC-23 a political lobby group for Delta Central governorship carried out their consultations and screened the aspirants first to 5 and later to 3.
“Having arrived at three names, we thought that the UPU should have allowed the political players and stakeholders to determine who will fly the party’s ticket at the governorship primaries and not to ambush party delegates by usurping their statutory functions.
“Over the years, the UPU has continued in this wrong trajectory and it has always boomeranged because UPU does not constitute the voting delegate in the party primaries.
“Again it is wrong to endorse a particular aspirant leaving others who are also great sons of Urhobo nation.
“We therefore urge the UPU to withdraw the said endorsement to give room for a free and fair party primaries for all aspirants,” the statement read.
