The successes we celebrate today were not planned today. They’re the results of well thought out projections made yesterday by great minds.
The zoning arrangement laid down by PDP leaders in Delta State since James Ibori’s time, has consistently proven to be the party’s greatest electoral strength.
But the same zoning arrangement can be further exploited now to maximize the party’s chances for our electoral victories in future elections; precisely the 2023 dispensation.
I consider this to be very critical because today’s electoral success are necessarily the result of yesterday’s adequate permutations.
Now that our party has retained power by winning the 2019 general election, Delta State PDP can start working it’s way to more assured electoral victory in 2023 by the redistribution of offices it makes today.
Let’s consider these arrangements: Delta North is providing the state Governor for a second term.
Therefore, by the party’s zoning arrangement, it’s loyalty to other senatorial district that has supported it for this to be possible, is as good as secured in the party.
Delta Central has provided the House Speaker for one term so far. And the same Delta Central by the party’s zoning arrangement will be providing the Governor in 2023.
Now, here lies the opportunity the party can deploy to stabilize its ranks ahead of 2023. How? Since Delta Central will produce Governor in 2023, the cooperation of Delta Central leaders towards governorship in 2023 shouldn’t constitute a problem because their loyalty to zoning is also as good as being in the bag also.
But Delta South is where the need for appeasement is urgent. Delta South, since this dispensation has not held any prime electoral office.
The new dispensation expected to commence in the next two months is therefore the most appropriate time and opportunity to carry Delta South along by considering the following realignment for party endorsement:
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(1) Make Delta South produce the House Speaker with Itsekiris and Isokos in mind and make Delta Central which will produce the Governor in 2023, the Deputy House Speaker in addition to holding the office of the SSG as we enter the imminent dispensation in June. It will make for a win-win situation for the party.
And remarkably, this will douse the usual tension associated with who becomes Governor in Delta Central bearing in mind that an ambitious, powerful Speaker now from Delta Central, will not be a child’s play to manage in 2023. Though, it is his right to contest any office, but if his ambition turns him to a bull in a China’s shop on account of the enormous influence he has acquired, there will be a problem in 2023.
So this redistribution proposal will also encourage Delta South to abide by the zoning arrangement in 2023 as well as forestall the chance of party leaders in Delta South challenging zoning or opting to form alliances that would definitely weaken the zoning arrangement that has done so well for us in the state.
(2) Make Delta North from where Okowa comes produce the House Majority Leader.
With this arrangement I think we would be seen to have been sufficiently proactive to deal with the challenges of 2023 elections.
Godwin Buwa is a political analyst and social commentator (Warri)
