Delta Political Leaders Fight Over Edo House Crisis

By Emmanuel Aziken

Two prominent political actors in Delta State, Chief E.K. Clark, and Chief Ayiri Emami have taken their political dispute to the neighbouring Edo State where they have taken diametrically opposite sides in the political crisis in the state.

Emami, a strong ally of the immediate past governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Udugahan is also a known friend of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the immediate past governor of Edo State, a central figure in the crisis in Edo State.

Emami moved from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in 2015 after the enthronement of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in Delta State and was believed to have moved early to the All Progressives Congress, APC to prepare the way for Dr. Uduaghan.

Clark on his part has also come to be known as a father figure to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and was also a rabid critic of Dr. Uduaghan’s emergence as governor of the state.

Following the crisis over the inauguration of the Edo State House of Assembly, Chief Clark had in a statement urged for caution against the move by the National Assembly to take over the state legislative house.

His move was in the face of the alleged lobby by associates of Oshiomhole to use the National Assembly to cripple Governor Obaseki’s hold on the State House of Assembly.

Clark had in a statement on Thursday said:

“It is unconstitutional and wrong for the National Assembly to “order, direct” the Edo State Governor to issue a fresh proclamation. Section 3 places such activity squarely on the Exclusive List.

“The Edo State House of Assembly at present is functioning properly, and in fact, has gone to court to challenge the action of the 16 elected members who were not present at the inauguration, who in fact, were not yet members of the Edo State House of Assembly, because, they were not been sworn in by the elected Speaker of the House.”

Responding to Clark in an interview with newsmen shortly after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in the Presidential Villa on Friday, Emami said:

“When I read that I felt very disappointed because he is an elder statesman and he should know the laws more than many of us.

“I recall that Chief Clark never supported Governor Obaseki before he became governor, so if Obaseki is trying to be very ungrateful to people that brought him to power, I think, as a father, Chief Clark should have advised him better, not to cause chaos in Edo state because Edo and Delta are still the same.

“I expected him to call Obaseki and advise him as a father but he did not do that, rather he took side immediately.

“Let me tell you, there is nothing about Edo state that we don’t know. The National Assembly has it as a duty to intervene in any state Assembly that has crisis.

“So for anybody to fault that move is unfortunate and that Is why I am shocked with the comment made by Chief EK Clark.

“All of us knew how Obaseki became governor of Edo State. He was never a politician. It was Oshiomhole who made him governor against all odds.

“Oshiomhole offended many people loyal to him just because he wanted to make Obaseki governor. So it is unfortunate that today the governor sees himself as a thin god, exhibiting so much disrespect for the man that made him governor. That is ingratitude of the highest order and it is not good for him as a governor. To me, he’s an ingrate.

“There is an adage in Itsekiri which says you must remember the good of yesterday. Whatever Obaseki is doing he must sleep and reflect the good time he had with Comrade.

“A couple of times I had an opportunity to sit with Comrade and he kept saying ‘Ayiri, you know how I labored to bring Obaseki so I cannot support pulling that house down. So I don’t see Comrade fighting Obaseki but Obaseki is just fighting himself.

“So Chief EK Clark should concentrate on Delta State where he caused some problems for people and leave Edo alone because he does not know how Obaseki became governor.”

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