Manager, a fourth-term Senator, emerged the flag-bearer of the party in a money-dominated primary election held at the Oleh township stadium, headquarters of Isoko South Local Government Area of the state.
James Manager, the senator representing Delta South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, has emerged winner of the primary election of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Senatorial District for the 2019 general election.
Manager, a fourth-term Senator, emerged the flag-bearer of the party in a money-dominated primary election held at the Oleh township stadium, headquarters of Isoko South Local Government Area of the state.
Our correspondent who monitored the election witnessed the disbursement of bribes to delegates across the eight local government areas that make up the senatorial district at the accreditation centres, by Manager and his closest rival and member representing Warri North constituency in the state House of Assembly, Michael Diden, popularly known as 'Ejele'.
SaharaReporters observed that while the senator was distributing N200,000 each to the 1,063 delegates by proxy after accreditation, the state legislator gave N300,000 to delegates from his local government, Warri North, and N200,000 each to other delegates from the remaining seven local government councils shortly after their accreditation, also by proxy.
Declaring the results of the primary shortly after collation of votes, the Returning Officer for the Delta south senatorial district primary election, Pedro Egharevba, said the incumbent senator, James Manager, polled 563 votes to beat his closest opponent, Michael Diden, who polled 490 votes.
Egharevba announced that the former speaker of the state house of Assembly, J.F.K. Omatsone, scored three votes, while the fourth aspirant, Olivia Agbajoh, a former House of Representatives member, did not score any vote. There were also seven void votes.
Speaking with our correspondent shortly after casting his vote, a delegate, who asked not to be named, said the N200,000 given to each delegate by Manager, as well as the N200,000 each by Diden to delegates from seven local government councils and 300, 000 to his Warri North delegates, was the sole right of the delegates.
"This is the only time we can make free money from all these politicians," he said. "Senator James Manager is our own, and you know that we, the Ijaw, are more populated than the two other ethnic nationalities; that was why we decided to make him proud by giving him our vote. Let me congratulate James Manager for his victory."
At the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Delta Central senatorial district primary election, the member representing Uvwie/Okpe/Sapele constituency at the House of Representatives, Evelyn Oboro, polled 586 votes to defeat former Governor, James Ibori's close political ally, Ighoyota Amori who polled 486, while Charles Obule polled six votes at Sapele local government council where the primary was held.
At the cenotaph in Asaba, the state capital, the senator representing Delta North senatorial district, Peter Nwaovoshi, polled 506 votes to defeat his closest rival, Ned Nwoko, a former House of Representatives member who polled 453 votes to clinch the second position, while Paul Osaji, polled 216 votes to secure the third position.
At Ogwashi-Uku, headquarters of Aniocha South local government area of the state, it was reliably learnt that at about 9am, wife of the former PDP National Chairman, Miriam Alli, who is contesting for the Delta North senatorial district seat under the All Progressives Congress (APC) allegedly invaded the venue of her parallel primary election with armed thugs, chasing and attacking party members.