South-south leader, Chief Edwin Clark, yesterday in Warri, Delta State, said the people of Delta State have decided to back the candidacy of President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2011 presidential election.
Clark, who spoke to THISDAY after a rally in Warri attended by a large crowd of people from all the local government areas in the state, said the gathering in which every local government area sent a minimum of about 400 respresentatives indicated clearly that the state has taken a decision on the 2011 presidential election and that the decision is that Jonathan is their choice candidate.
Clark said supported the rally after going through THISDAY's Political Tren-ding report which indicated that PDP delegates from Delta State are still undecided.
Clark said yesterday's rally was a clear signal from the people of Delta State that they have decided to support Jonathan.
"After this rally attended by thousands of people and in which each local government area has a minimum of 400 people, you people can see that Delta State is not undecided. We have decided to support Jonathan," he said.
The rally planned to mobilise support for the President held at a public field on Refinery road in Warri had in attendance, the two senators from the state who are PDP members- James Manager and Adego Eferekeya, former senator Francis Okpozo, former governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, former presidential spokesman, Dr. Doyin Okupe, both of whom were present to offer solidarity support, and party leaders from all the local government areas.
In an apparent demonstration of the fact that the rally was aimed at showing how the people would vote in the presidential election, Clark told the people that “you have said it all. I am happy we have all agreed that Jonathan is our candidate.”
He also commended the people for backing Jonathan to run for the presidency in the next election.
Also, speaking at the occasion, the senator representing Delta South District, Senator Manager, said Jonathan’s presidential candidacy was a reality.
Manager, who allayed fears about any rift between Jonathan and Uduaghan, noted that the support for Jonathan “is a must for the people of Delta State”. He said all senators from the state had decided to give the President their full support.
Also speaking at the rally, Ezeife told the people of the Niger Delta that they did not have any reason not to support one of their own for the presidential position of the country. “You must endeavour to support Goodluck Jonathan”, he said.
Manager’s colleague, Senator Eferakeya, representing Delta Central Dis-trict, said the South-south zone should take advantage of the opportunity offered by the 2011 polls to rewrite the history of Nigeria.
Prof Eferekeya said the ascension of President Jonathan into his present position was divine.
The rally also had in attendance, aspirants for different offices like the gubernatorial, state and National Assembly seats who came with their supporters. The supporters wore branded T-shirts, caps and generously displayed banners and posters to spread the message of their candidates for the various offices.
However, the rally was not attended by any Delta State government official. THISDAY gathered that the absence of Delta State government officials at the rally was occasioned by the fact that the organisers did not inform Uduaghan about the gathering.
A source said when the governor heard about the rally just before it started, he directed the police commissioner and other security agencies to ensure the security of the people at the rally.
The governor dismissed the advice from some of his supporters that he should order the cancellation of the rally. He also gave a stern warning to his supporters who were threatening to disrupt the proceeding.
“Governor Uduaghan gave serious support to ensure the success of the rally even though neither he nor any government official was present,” a source said.
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