OLUSESAN OBA writes that the ruling Peoples Democratic Party faces an intense battle to retain power in Delta State as the main opposition All Progressives Congress and Labour Party are giving the PDP a run for its money as the electorate decides the fate of the candidates of the three parties in the March 18, 2023 governorship elections.

Since the advent of the Fourth Republic in 1999, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party has utterly dominated the political space in Delta State but the PDP faces its biggest threat ever as the governorship elections take centre stage on March 18 across the country.

James Ibori, the first man to become Governor in the state on the platform of the PDP, blew away opposition to clinch the job in 1999 and worked even less to retain the seat in 2003.

His friend and associate Emmanuel Uduaghan took over from him in 2007 and his reelection in 2011 faced little opposition and the party had less job to do when the incumbent Governor Patrick Okowa took over in 2015 and also had a smooth sail in 2019 to seal his reelection.

However, the dynamism of politics in Delta State paints a delicate future for PDP with the growing influence of the All Progressives Congress and the spontaneous popularity of the Labour Party backed by the Obidients Movement linked to the presidential candidate of LP Peter Obi, changing the political landscape of the state.

The candidate of the APC, Senator Ovie Omo Agege who is the incumbent deputy senate president, is a formidable force in Delta politics while the flag bearer of the Labour Party Deacon Ken Pela is breathing down the necks of the two bigger parties.

The flag bearer of the PDP in the March 18 polls, Sherrif Oborevwori, could have wished to have emerged as the party’s candidate at a time of his party’s total domination than at a period when one of the opposition parties could potentially sweep the ruling party out of power.

Read more here: [https://iwitnesslive.com/2023/03/15/how-apc-can-sweep-pdp-out-of-power-in-delta/][How APC can sweep PDP out of power in Delta]

It go hard oo