DELTA RERUN: CLARK SHUNS JONATHAN, SAMBO RALLY

First Republic Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, yesterday shunned a rally by President Goodluck Jonathan and Vice President Mohammed Sambo to canvass support for the re-election of Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan in tomorrow's governorship rerun election in Delta State.

Clark had opposed the candidature of Uduaghan who was sacked by the Appeal Court over a petition by the candidate of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), Chief Great Ogboru.

Clark, who was a staunch supporter of Jonathan's presidential ambition, had however disagreed with the president over the return of Uduaghan as the candidate of the party.

Speaking at the rally, President Jonathan reiterated the party's readiness to reclaim its lost governorship seat in the state, saying the Presidency would rather work with the deposed governor of the state, Emmanuel Uduaghan.

His statement reads in parts: 'We at the centre want to continue to work with Uduaghan. We want to continue to work with Uduaghan because three years plus that he has been here, he has shown commitment to develop the state.

I will continue to be the president for the next four years. We need people who know what they are saying. We don't need a beginner.'

Also, former chairman of the party's Board of Trustees (BoT), Chief Tony Anenih said the party would resist any attempt to cause trouble during the election. He said the PDP would rule Delta State forever.

He said:'Delta State was PDP yesterday, Delta Sate is PDP today and Delta State will be PDP forever. That is the strength of the PDP.

'We will not give any chance for violence. Those who want to make a change through violence will be severely dealt with according to the law.'

National Chairman of the party, Chief Okwesileze Nwodo reminded the people of the state that the PDP had always been in power in the state since the creation of the party as he enumerated the achievements of the party in the state.

He said: 'Right from the inception of this party, we have been in charge in Delta State; we have been in charge in the local governments, we have been in charge of the state government, and all your representatives at the National Assembly are in the PDP.

'We win our elections among the people of Nigeria. We don't wait to win elections at the law courts. Because in the Peoples Democratic Party, we belong to the people and the people belong to us and together we navigate the development of this country. We will tell them that this quality of governance cannot be stolen by the law courts.'

Also in attendance were the governors of Bayelsa, Enugu and Cross River states.

Meanwhile, some thugs had set ablaze the state office of INEC. The attack on the INEC office at Koko town came by as supporters of Uduaghan and candidate of the Republican Party of Nigeria, Ovie Omo-Agege, also clashed at Orogun town, Ugheli North Local Government Area of the state. Three people reportedly died in the clash.

But the INEC Chairman, Prof. Atahiru Jega, assured that the register for tomorrow's election had been cleaned up for a credible election.