Field Report: How PDP defeats APC in Ughelli

By Jon Egie

The PDP in Ughelli North LGA performed brilliantly in the March 9,
Governorship and House of Assembly elections in Delta state beating
the APC hands down in ward 3/7

An analysis of the performance of the party in the ward indicates that
the PDP trounced the APC despite the fact that Ughelli North LGA is
the traditional home of opposition in Delta state and a place that the
PDP has not won since the advent of the present day democratic
dispensation (1999-date).

The performance of ward 3/7 in the March 9, election is considered
even more remarkable because it is the only ward in Ughelli North LGA,
where the PDP won convincingly as the tsunami of the APC broom swept
the other nine wards in the local government area except Uwheru ward
09, in which PDP secured 54 per cent of the votes cast compared to
APC’s 46 per cent in the Governorship election and 52 to 48 per cent
of votes cast for the House of Assembly seat.

Ward 3/7 falls within the delineation of Ughelli constituency 2, which
comprises Ughelli ward 1-5, 2-6 and 3-7 spread among: Ughelli
township, Agbarho, Uwheru and Afiesere axis. Besides ward 3/7, PDP
lost both Governorship and House of Assembly elections in the other
wards.

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Specifically, Ughelli ward 3/7 has 17 Polling Units (PU) spread over
Ogbovwan, Afiesere, Ohwaro, Ododegho, Ujode and Eruemukowharien
communities.

Despite the cancellation of votes in four PDP strong hold polling
units, for the House of Assembly (Ughelli Constituency 2) election, in
ward 3/7, the PDP polled a total of 2,159 votes (61.8 per cent) while
the APC polled a total of 1,337 votes (38.2 per cent). And for the
governorship election, the PDP polled 2,245 votes (62.1 per cent) and
APC polled 1,373 votes (37.9).

Sources attributed the brilliant performance of the PDP in Ughelli
ward 3/7 to the influence of the Commissioner of Finance, Olorogun
David Edevbie, a native of Afiesere whose positive impact on indigenes
of the communities in the ward dwarfed those of the over bearing
influence of the multitude of the APC members and leaders in the area.

Like they say in common parlance, all politics is local and from the
performance of the PDP in ward 3/7 in the March 9 Governorship and
House of Assembly election Olorogun David Edevbie has proven once
again that he is very much in touch with the grassroots in his
locality.