Ministerial Slot: Delta APC Leaders Put Brave Face To Disappointment

By Patrick Adamagu

ANGUISH may have hit the camps of Delta State All Progressives Congress, APC governorship candidate, Chief Great Ogboru and other factional leaders in the state chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC following the nomination of Barrister Festus Keyamo as the state representative on the 43-man ministerial list.

Party leaders in the state are pained by what they claim as the absence of the nominee in the politics of the state saying that he does not identify with the party in the state.

“There is disappointment everywhere because people do not know him, he just operated from Abuja,”  a party source said on Wednesday.

The disappointment nonetheless, many of them are putting up brave faces and congratulating Keyamo apparently recognizing that there are other many juicy appointments waiting in the wings.

Among the positions that could still go to loyal party members are the chairman and managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.

President Buhari had nominated Keyamo who acted as spokesman for the APC Presidential Campaign Council in 2019 to the chagrin of some chieftains of the party in the state given that Ogboru was rumoured to have been ticked as the ministerial nominee.

Keyamo, a loyalist to the late Spanner Okpozo tendency of the APC in the state, emerged as favorite in what political pundits pointed as an in house tussle that reared its head following the cracks among the various tendencies in the Delta State chapter of the APC.

Some of the tendencies hit by the disappointment include; Mainstream Delta APC (Emerhor), Light of Delta APC (Ogboru/Omo-Agege), Consolidated Dynamic APC (Hyacinth Enuha) and Delta APC Unity Group (Solomon Edojah) and a host of others.

Keyamo was, however, known have been appointed by Temi Harriman, the 2015 APC presidential campaign coordinator for Delta Central.

While all the groups collapsed their structures just before the elections following a peace directive by the presidency, Mainstream Delta APC continued with their grievances.

It was not until last week that Emerhor gave the nod to withdraw the suit he had filed against the Prophet Jones Erue led leadership for the interest of peace and reconciliation after the 2019 general elections in the state.

Indeed, the APC in Delta State is currently described as a party with many leaders. Many of those leader were touted to represent the state in FEC among whom were Chief Ogboru, Emerhor, former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, Dr. Ibe Kachukwu, Dr. Vernica Ogbuagbu, Chief Hyacinth Enuha, and a host of others.

Though all sides claimed to have ceased fire on the impasse that rocked the party, a seemingly cold war had been unravelled in what factional leader of the party, Olorogun Emerhor described as a “no traction” situation.

Emerhor’s utterance was contained in a statement to his group, Mainstream Delta APC on the need to withdraw his suit on the legitimacy of the Jones Erue led executive of the party in the state.

In the letter, he said: “Our earlier terms for Party Exco harmonization and sharing of Federal appointments to all groups in Delta APC were once again put on the table as the panacea for bringing lasting peace to APC Delta State.”

However, apparently not pleased with the squabbles in the state chapter, the president moved a neutral person not overtly weighed down by the factional squabbles in the state chapter.

Meanwhile, some of the leaders of the party in the state have already congratulated Keyamo ahead of future board appointments for the state.

Among the first to congratulate him was Dr Uduaghan, who was among those touted for the position.

“For us in Delta State, Festus Keyamo‘s appointment did not come as a surprise to us. Festus has distinguished himself and has shown capacity in his previous post as spokesperson of our Presidential Campaign Council. His appointment is very welcomed to the APC family in Delta State.

The recognized leadership of the party in the state led by Prophet Erue was also quick to laud the nomination.

A statement issued by the party’s director of communication, Nick Ovuakporie in lauding the nomination said:

“Prophet Jones Erue joins the teeming members of the APC family in Delta State to congratulate Festus Keyamo, whose commitment to the vibrancy of the legal profession in Nigeria, and beyond, and his dedication to the ideals of the governing APC and development of the country remain exemplary, and highly commendable.”

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