The highly trumpeted aspirant in the rat race to succeed Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan next year, Mr. Tony Obuh, has declared his applicant status and eagerness to get employment in Delta State Government House, Asaba, as soon as possible.
Obuh, whose outstanding emergence on the political turf recently threw the gauntlet of Ika nation and Delta North Senatorial District at large, where the former Speaker of the state’s House of Assembly, Engr. Victor Ochei, the Senator, representing Delta North Senatorial district, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, the incumbent Chief of Staff, Dr. Festus Okubor, a former Assistant Commissioner of Police in River state, Chief Godswill Obielum,the Lagos-based multi-millionaire, Chief Peter Okocha, the chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Chief Dr. (Mrs.) Ngozi Olejeme, President Goodluck Jonathan’s Special Adviser on Projects’ Monitoring and Evaluation, Prof. Sylvester Monye and the former Acting Governor of the state, Rt. Hon. Sam Obi, hail from, into a theatre of battle, said he has gone to submit his application for the race to the First Republican Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark.
Since Obuh declared for the race, top aspirants in the race, Okowa, Okubor, Ochei and Olejeme, popularly referred to as “the Big Four” have started to amend their campaign strategies to fit into the wind of surprise being blown by the Kingmakers in the oil rich state.
Their fears were aggravated by the activities of professional kite-flyers, who did not only littered the streets of the state, especially Asaba metropolis with Obuh’s posters with the inscription: “Right Man for the Right Time for Delta State Governor 2015”, but announced Obuh’s choice as the preferred ‘anointed one’.
According to them, Obuh’s antecendents when he was Governor Uduaghan’s Permanent Secretary when he was former Governor James Ibori’s Commissioner for Health, Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and now as his Permanent Secretary in Government House, did not only speak volume of his credibility but remains an intimidating profile to other challengers.
While supporters of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party is the state have not stop grumbling that Obuh is not a “hardcore politician”, the fact remains that with the powers behind him, he has walked tall with Governor Uduaghan is several capacities, piled his civil service trade for over 15 years as a civil servant and he knows the Governor’s strength and has the master-key deepen the continuity of governance being propagated by his boss (Uduaghan).
The Agbor, Ika South born Obuh, who last month voluntarily retired as Permanent Secretary, Government House, Asaba, made his status and desire known at a luncheon/interactive session with journalists in Asaba. He said his retirement has made him jobless and he was willing to be “employed” in a higher capacity as soon as possible.
First, I see all those posters as messages of goodwill; I see them as invitation to further service, an expression of desire on their part. It is possible that in the course of time, my consultation, discussions with my family, elders, my mentors in service in and out both serving and retired, there may be a meeting point of what they are asking for, what I am looking for and what God will make available for me. So, for me all you have been seeing are all messages of goodwill, I like them.
“I am now an applicant eager for employment. I was a civil servant now retired and in the job market. I will be willing to take up any employment. That was why I went to see Chief E. K Clark.
“I see the posters as messages of goodwill. Its a measure of people’s desire for me. There may be a meeting point for them & I. They are all messages of goodwill and I like them. I state unequivocally, I need further employment. Majority of our people want me to serve in that capacity and I say glory be to God, Amen.
“I re-emphasize, I am looking for employment. By the time I finish with my consultation, I will make a formal declaration and what I have in mind. I will call you people and tell you what I want. For now, give me time to finish my consultation.”