•Okowa, Uduaghan gear up efforts for Oborevwori, PDP
•Gbagi targets churches as Ogboru returns to the field
By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South
WITH the avowals of some close associates of the former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori, about two months ago, many construed that after a long-drawn battle, the Odidigborigbo of the Universe, ex-governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, and the current governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, had finally concurred on the candidacy of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governorship Candidate, Rt. Hon Sheriff Oborevwori.
Inexact reading
However, it seems imprecisely so, as the signals from other foot soldiers of Ibori showed otherwise.
Since 1998/1999 when he strutted the state’s political scene, emerging as the governor in 1999, and playing commanding roles in the emergence of his two successors (Uduaghan and Okowa, currently a vice-presidential candidate of PDP), the 2023 governorship election, holding March 11, appears a significant moment for Ibori in the state’s politics.
On the flip side, many believed that the person who really had issues with Okowa was Uduaghan, particularly over the former’s emergence as governorship candidate and governor in 2015, but with Uduaghan’s acceptance of Oborevwori, who is Okowa’s choice as the party’s governorship candidate after the Supreme Court verdict in 2022, everybody thought the quarrels were over. It is an off-beam presumption, as Ibori in the face of the assertions by his known associates, has not publicly declared for Oborevwori, the PDP governorship candidate in the March 11 governorship election. His daughter, Hon Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu is contesting the House of Representatives seat for Ethiope Federal Constituency on the PDP platform.
Ibori has stayed silent, speaking to a few, and his body language is unclear. He also appears to be enjoying the newfound attention his silence has brought to him.
Okowa, Omo-Agege, Oborevwori in a mind game
At present, in the state, the All Progressives Congress, APC, shepherded by the Deputy President of Senate and governorship candidate, Ovie Omo-Agege, scoffs PDP as a party that treated Ibori shoddily in other to pull him.
The governor, Senator Okowa, infers that Ibori, a national leader of the party, deserves his quietness and the party was counting on his leadership to uphold and go beyond its winning streak in the state.
When Okowa and Oborevwori stormed Oghara, Ibori’s hometown in the Ethiope-West local government area, weeks ago, on the party’s local government tour, Oborevwori eulogized Ibori, saying, “Ethiope West is the home of PDP.”
Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, at a campaign in Ozoro and Oleh, Isoko North and South local government areas, penultimate Friday, accused Governor Okowa of repaying the goodwill he enjoyed from Ibori with ingratitude.
Okowa, Uduaghan, Oborevwori, and other leaders of PDP have also remained guarded in their statements on Ibori in recent times.
While appealing to the people to vote massively for the PDP, he assured the people of a better deal in 2023, if elected governor.
Okowa, in his remarks at the two rallies, reiterated there was no quarrel between him and Ibori, saying that the PDP is a united family in the state.
The governor said that Ethiope West being the political base of the national leader, Ibori; the party deserves the number one position through bloc vote for its candidates.
He stated that the party’s candidates in Ethiope West were his family members one way or the other, because of his strong political affiliations and cordial relationships with Chief James Ibori. Senator Ighoyota Amori and other leaders, adding that the eldest daughter of the former governor who is the House of Representatives candidate for Ethiope Federal Constituency, Hon Mrs. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, remained his daughter for life.
Okowa insisted that the PDP candidate, Oborevwori, possessed all the requirements to be governor, and urged the people to support him and all other party candidates.
Delta Central senatorial candidate, Chief Ighoyota Amori, former Commissioner in the state, Chief Engr Emmanuel Ighomena, and PDP Campaign Coordinator for Delta Central senatorial district, Chief John Nani, said the many achievements of the state government under the visionary leadership of Okowa, informed their decision to once again give bloc vote to the party.
Ibori was unavoidably absent but sent his best wishes to the party and candidates through the party’s local government chair, Mr. Solomon Obareki.
Ibori’s crafty visit to Senator Manager
However, last week, Ibori made a cunning political move with a visit to a former chairman of the party and governorship aspirant, Senator James Manager, who lost to Oborewwori in the PDP governorship primary. Senator Manager, a friend of Okowa has not forgiven him since he lost the ticket to Oborevwori in May 2022.
They did not make their deliberations public, but before Ibori’s stopover at Manager’s residence, Oborevwori had also paid a strategic visit to Manager. What they discussed is also not in the public domain. Oborevwori is also discussing with Olorogun David Edevbie, Ibori’s candidate for governor, whose actual stance is unknown to date.
Gbagi, Ogboru forge ahead
Besides Oborevwori, who has upshot his campaign with visits to wards and local government areas, and Omo-Agege, bent on stopping him from taking over Government House, Asaba, the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in the state, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi, has concentrated his campaign on churches and markets.
Gbagi essentially thinks he is the real deal for Deltans, but the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, governorship candidate, Chief Great Ogboru, a veteran among the governorship candidates, also believes that the governorship crown is for him, this time around.
Uduaghan, Otuaro, harp on Okowa, Oborevwori
At the PDP campaign in Ukwuani, and Ethiope East local government areas, Dr. Uduaghan urged the people to vote for all PDP candidates to enable Okowa to become the vice-president of the country, saying a vote for the party would ensure proper allocation of oil resources produced from the state.
At the party’s campaign in Ughelli South, the Deputy Governor, Deacon Kingsley Otuaro, who, unlike Senator Manager, had since joined the Oborevwori for governorship campaign, after losing in the governorship primary, said it was very clear from the massive turnout that the people of Ughelli South have decided on PDP all the way.
“We are happy because from what I can see here, we are home and dry as the victory here is signed, sealed, and delivered, therefore, it is our expectation that you translate this to massive votes for all our candidates,” Otuaro stated.
Okowa also assured Deltans that Oborevwori would take his administration’s performance if elected, explaining, “I have known Oborevwori for many years now, and he has been the Speaker of the House of Assembly for six years and as the longest- serving Speaker, he has understudied our programs and policies.”
Mass defection hits PDP, APC
While the major two parties in the state, PDP and APC, scheme ahead of the governorship poll, mass resignation has hit both sides.
Welcoming a former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Chief Monday Igbuya, who earlier decamped from the PDP to APC in 2019, returned to PDP in 2021, and exited again to APC, at the APC ward-to- ward campaign in Iyede-Ame, and Ofagbe communities, Omo-Agege boasted: “I can comfortably tell you that Governor Okowa and PDP have seen nothing yet. In the next few days and weeks ahead, there is going to be a Tsunami, and it will shake Delta PDP to its very foundation.”
Former Executive Secretary of the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, Chief Andy Osawota; former DESOPADEC Commissioner, Chief Pius Ovbije, aka POC; and former Executive Assistant to Delta State Governor on Technical Education, Michael Akpobirhe, also jumped ship with Igbuya.
“Already, we have been informed that other senior members of the party like BOT member, Chief Judith Enamuotor, and former House of Representatives member, Hon. Mercy Almona Isei has left. They are joining us.”
True to his bragging, a former Commissioner for Information, Chief Enamuotor, Hon. Isei, and many others, including former Commissioner for Urban Renewal, Chief Karo Ilolo; former chairman of Ethiope East local government area, Chief Faith Majemite resigned from the PDP. A former lawmaker from Patani local government area, Hon Tonye Timi, and former Commissioner for Information, Chief Judith Enamuotor also dumped the PDP for APC.
A member of the Board of Trustees of the APC and erstwhile military Administrator, AVM Frank Ajobena (retd) was among the first persons to resign their membership of the party and switched over to the PDP. National leader of the Hivoltage Movement, Olorogun Jaro Egbo, and hundreds of his supporters also resigned and defected from the APC to the PDP.
In addition, a Senior Legislative aide to the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Mr. Martins Umukoro, along with his supporters, resigned from the APC and joined the PDP. Erstwhile House of Assembly aspirant, Mr. Roland Oyibo and his supporters left the APC for the PDP. A leader of the APC in Okpe local government area, Mr. Abraham Ewhrujakpor, moved over to the PDP.
Eyes on Ibori
All eyes are, however, on Chief Ibori to see what instructions and counter – instructions he is going to dish out in the weeks and days leading to the governorship election. Will he make his tent with Okowa, Uduaghan, and Oborevwori at the party where he is a national leader, or he will pull his supporters to join forces with Omo-Agege and APC to fight PDP? Time will tell.
The post 49 DAYS TO GUBER ELECTION: Ibori remains unpredictable as Oborevwori, Omo-Agege go for broke appeared first on Vanguard News.
