Delta State Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, is in for a political battle of his life this weekend, in his quest to become a senator as well as produce a preferred successor, with the coming together of Chief Edwin Clark, ex-militant, Tompolo and Senator James Manager against his aspiration and desires.
Checks revealed that Clark, Tompolo and Manager were working to stop Uduaghan from going to the Senate as well as stop Chief Anthony Obuh, believed to be the governor’s candidate, from emerging.
Towards this end, the group is pushing to get the authority to be in control of security that would be deployed for the senatorial and governorship primaries of the PDP scheduled for December 7 and 8, 2014 respectively.
Competent sources told Daily Sun that the team wants Manager to retain his position by picking PDP’s ticket, instead of Uduaghan and Senator Ifeanyi Okowa emerging as the governorship candidate of the PDP in Delta State, instead of Obuh.
“The plan is to determine by fiat, who becomes the party’s senatorial candidate. The target is the governor, and they want James Manager to be the party’s senatorial candidate instead of the governor,” a source stated.
Clark, Tompolo and Senator Manager, it was gathered, are unhappy with Uduaghan’s support for Obuh as the gubernatorial nominee and therefore are working to deliver Okowa.
Commenting on this development, a PDP chieftain expressed surprise that Clark wants to renew his war with Uduaghan at the 11^th hour when it seemed that they had settled their political difference.
He said: “We thought that the elder statesman (Clark) had changed and was at peace with the governor.”
He added: “I understand that the problem this time is that they want James Manager not only to become the senatorial candidate but also become Senate leader when he wins. The calculation is that the Senate leader and the president of the country can work together as kinsmen.”
It was gathered that in the plot, the trio are dropping President Goodluck Jonathan’s name, to give the impression that he had given his blessing.
Meanwhile, those in Uduaghan’s camp say the plot of the trio will fail, as  “our governor is waiting for them,” said angry party member, without explaining what Governor Uduaghan plans to do to prevent them. He insisted that delegates do not favour the “enemies.”

PDP primaries: Uduaghan faces uphill task as Clark, Tompolo unite