As Oborevwori, Edevbie Sleuthing Continues, LP’s Pela And APC’s Omo-Agege Make Inroads Ahead Delta 2023
The Oasis Reporters
August 17, 2022
By Greg Abolo
@gregabolo
@Theoasisreport1
Since the dawn of Nigeria’s third republic, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has been at the governorship seat in the oil rich Delta State. This successful streak of non-changing party has ironically become it’s hubris, which may lead to it’s hands being pried off the navigating console in the Delta voyage.
As the first governor in this republic, James Onanefe Ibori (from Delta Central) set a precedent of a template for infrastructural development, he added something else.
Control.
He controlled Delta like a godfather. He knew what round pegs he needed for round holes and what square pegs he needed for square holes. Even in succession plans, his hands have always been evident.
First, his maternal cousin, Emmanuel Uduaghan (Delta South) succeeded him, who in turn was succeeded by Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta North).
The strong feeling in the air today is that Okowa from Delta North believes that the long dynastic reign of Ibori ought to make way for a fresh godfather.
One who just may be his good self.
After all, he has some credentials that sound high.
The man who has emerged as the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar from Nigeria’s North East has handpicked the Delta State governor as his running mate.
Now this is where the story gets a bit interesting.
But first, the next candidate in the Delta State PDP governorship election has to emerge from Delta Central. Being the gentlemanly arrangements laid down on succession plans in the state, Ibori’s region has to present a candidate. And as a veteran godfather, he’d want to dictate who should be the candidate.
He chose David Edevbie, his erstwhile Finance Commissioner when he was governor. And by the way, he loaned the same Edevbie to then President Umaru Yar’adua as Chief of staff. After all money, allegedly from Ibori significantly aided the victory of Yar’adua in the election. So to put it mildly, Edevbie is a core Ibori loyalist.
It seems like Delta State governor who is from Delta North would prefer somebody else from Delta Central to succeed him. He picked and backed Sheriff Oborevwori. If he succeeds, he’d become the new godfather. Thus there is another level of the sleuthing of the godfathers in a subterranean fashion. It’s Ibori versus Okowa.
Here are the mats on the ground.
Delta Central is Ibori’s home front. Thus the strong feeling is that ‘we the Urhobos would choose who we want’.
Okowa is vice presidential running mate at the Federal level and thus, needs the control of home state Delta, for effective support.
But there’s another angle. At the PDP federal level, the party has the principle of rotation of power in it’s Constitution. In the 2019 presidential election, all the southern powerhouses agreed that the PDP candidate for the presidential election must come from the north. They chose Atiku Abubakar to contest against the APC candidate, Muhammadu Buhari. Both of them are northerners. Buhari defeated Atiku Abubakar.
Suspecting that Atiku Abubakar may want to make another go at the presidency in 2023 even when the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) has equally agreed in principle to choose a candidate from the south for the presidential election, Southern governors in their entirety held a surreptitious meeting, demanding that after an eighth year stint of the north at the presidency, power has to shift to the South.
And guess who the Chief convener of the meeting was.
Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa.
And the meeting was held in Asaba, state capital of Delta.
Almost all the governors were there. From the PDP, APC and APGA. They all agreed in the communique that power has to shift to the South in accordance with the PDP Constitution.
Atiku Abubakar heard the stunning news, some say from Dubai. Or maybe from Yola and rumbled. Everything was quickly put in place and the wishes of just one man nullified the decisions of the Southern executive governors and Atiku had his way. He finally picked the ticket. Southerners can adjust their power shift plans, perhaps after another four or eight years.
To cap it all up, he picks Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate. That is, he picked the convener of the Southern governors meeting. Even while people snigger and guffaw, Southern Youths did not find it funny. To many of them, it sounded like state capture. They seem to have resolved not to be like zombies, as Fela Anikulapo Kuti sang.
So while Okowa is gearing up for the campaigns, even in his home state, youths are mobilizing for a different party in town.
It’s the Labour Party, whose governorship candidate is Deacon Ken Pela, also an Urhobo from Delta Central. Thus while Edevbie and Oborevwori are sleuthing to the courts, Labour Party is winning hearts from Delta to the nation.
Not forgetting that the APC too, has Omo-Agege reeling off his credentials as an Urhobo from Delta Central and as a ranking Senator.
The most interesting is the massive support that the Labour Party is garnering. It’s amazing that the young and old are donating time, resources and goodwill to build Nigeria’s freshest party that is winning hearts and minds from the social media to the streets. And a party that is integrating women into it’s top fabric for gender inclusivity. Deacon Pela’s running mate is Ndokwa born academic from University of Port Harcourt, Professor Julie Nwabogo Umukoro. Professor Julie Nwabogo Umukoro’s husband is also a University Professor.
The festive streets of Warri, Asaba, Kwale, Ughelli, Burutu, Bomadi, Obiaruku, Oleh, Ozoro and everywhere in Delta State when the Labour Party supporters are out on a rally, says it all.
I watched one in Warri, and the participants said it was a sensitization rally. Their billboards and campaign paraphernalia are coming out and Delta State is an interesting political battleground to watch.
