Since the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), lifted the ban on campaign for the 2023 general election; Saturday November 19 and Friday 25, the All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential and governorship campaigns at Warri City Stadium and Oporoza, Gbaramatu, Warri South West Local Government, Delta State were threats.
The presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Governorship candidate for Delta State, Ovie Omo – Agege, created fears for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) through their huge statements at the two venues in their determination to retain power at the federal and state levels from May 29, 2023, with a view to resetting the state on the path of what they described as genuine progress, industrial, agricultural revolution, visible infrastructural development and sustainable peace.
During the consultative visits to stakeholders and leaders in the state, they met with a former leader of the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND) High Chief Government Ekpemupolo aka Tompolo, few days after Tinubu’s visit to Warri, where they, in company of Senator Oluremi Tinubu, flagged off the APC’s Presidential and Governorship campaigns in Warri and equally bagged a chieftaincy title of the Iyelawei of Gbaramatu Kingdom from the Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, Oboro-Gbaraun II, Aketekpe, Agadagba.
The title not only sent jitters to the camp of Atiku/Okowa, eminent Nigerians who accompanied the party’s presidential flag-bearer, among who were Minister of state, Petroleum, Chief Timipre Sylva, his counterpart in Ministry of Labour and Employment, and APC Presidential Campaign Council spokesman, Festus Keyamo, Governors Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano and Mai Mala Buni of Yobe and Deputy- Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, APC deputy governorship candidate, Hon. Friday Osanebi, Engr Omeni Sobotie, APC state chairman, Ologbotsere of Warri Kingdom, Chief Ayirimi Emami and others have sent signals to the PDP government that its time is up.
Whatever informed the selection of the venue over Asaba, the state capital, was justified by the large turnout of party faithful and spectators at the Warri Township Stadium as it turned out that the visit certainly lived up to the billing as a political visit of note. Deltans and indeed residents agreed with their presence, voice vote to support the APC at all levels which they will display during the election.
However, pundits say the reasons for such expectation are not far-fetched. Delta State is strategic not only as an oil producing State, it has remained in the firm grip of the Peoples Democratic (PDP), a rival party to the APC, since the commencement of the fourth republic in 1999.
Aside the economic importance of Delta even beyond oil – it has more than 163-kilometer coastline – the state has a sizeable population, and is ranked among the top 10 states with the highest number of residents with permanent voter’s cards (PVCs), coming only next to Rivers state among the states of the South-South geo-political zone of the country in terms of eligible voters, going by the latest publication by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Moreover, Deputy President of the Senate, Omo-Agege, candidate of the APC for the 2023 governorship election in the state understand securing the state for APC can no longer be seen as a huge task the party is seeking to accomplish; and, the fact that his performance will definitely be a plus to the polling fortunes of Tinubu not bothering about Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, the Vice-presidential candidate of the PDP, running mate of former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, who he accused openly of betrayal and mismanaging to state to debts.
Speaker after speaker underscored the reason why Delta citizens or residents should accept and vote for APC in 2023, with an outpouring of invectives on everyone and everything that is PDP, but that may not be the case.
While Tinubu promised to ensure an economically viable, stable and united Nigeria if elected president in 2023, APC appears to be making an inroads into Delta if the crowds are the rallies are to be considered. At the forefront of the competency for power are such notable figures as Chief Edwin Clark, former federal minister and leader of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), and importantly, Tompolo, both of whom are prominent Ijaw nationals of the state.
Votes from the creeks inhabited predominantly by the Ijaw, have been instrumental to Ibori and PDPs successes in the state and Tompolo, who is the lord of the creeks, is said to be maintaining his ground that his preferred candidate will be the next governor.
The meaning thus is that the Ijaw, whose three sons: Senator James Manager, currently representing Delta South under the PDP platform; deputy governor, Kingsley Otuaro and former commissioner, Braduce Angozi, are major contenders for the governorship, will present a huge headache for Okowa.
At Oproza, headquarters of Gbaramatu Kingdom, Delta State, on the occasion of a meeting with traditional rulers and stakeholders of Niger Delta region.
Addressing the monarchs and stakeholders, Tinubu said, “Nigeria needs honesty, they need the man who knows the road to take, and that man is me.”
He identified himself as a son-in-law of the Niger Delta and appealed for support in the electioneering campaign, promising to carry everyone along, develop the area and renew the hope of the people.
Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, governorship candidate of the APC in Delta State assured that when elected as President, Tinubu will construct an access road to Gbaramatu Kingdom.
HRM Oboro Gbaruan 11, Eketekpe Agadagba, Pere of Gbaramatu Kingdom, who hosted the meeting and conferred chieftaincy titles on Tinubu, Omo-Agege and others, requested an access road to his Kingdom when Tinubu is elected president.
In Delta, the APC is making huge inroads and will be looking to snatch up victory in the 2023 governorship election in the state. With deputy Senate president, Ovie Omo-Agege, another prominent Urhobo, as its leader in the state, pundits say the APC will be hopeful of a better outing.
But Okowa, the incumbent PDP governor who, apart from wielding power of incumbency, has lost Ibori’s backing ahead of the 2023 election.
To show that all is not well with PDP in the state, former governors Ibori and Emmanuel Uduaghan were conspicuously absent as the Delta State PDP inaugurated its campaign council ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa who is the vice presidential candidate of the PDP is the chairman of the council with the 2023 governorship candidate, Sheriff Oborevwori as vice chairman while the notable absentees at the inauguration are members.
PDP, in Delta held its mega rally in Ozoro, Isoko North local government area of the state to receive decampees from the opposition political parties. However, prominent party leaders boycotted the rally even as there was no official unveiling of the Delta PDP governorship candidate as expected. Amongst those absent at the rally were former Governors James Ibori, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, Senator James Manager, representing Delta South, Barr Kingsley Otuaro, Deputy Governor, Chief David Edevbie, governorship aspirant and others.
Vice Presidential candidate of the party, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, miffed by recent remarks that the party in the state is dying, Okowa said: “I heard some people saying PDP is dying in Delta state. Whatever is going on is a normal democratic process. We should be Atikulated. Atiku gave one of our own running mate, he has done well for the South, particularly South-South.
The battle between Okowa and Ibori, is like a house divided against itself. While Okowa is bent on picking his successor, Ibori, who had maintained a firm grip on the state’s politics since 1999 when he became governor, wants to have a say. Both men have different opinions about who should be governor in 2023, a development that is already heating up the state polity and providing a smooth sail for APC.
Okowa is said to favour Oborevwori, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, among other aspirants within his camp, including the deputy governor, Kingsley Otuaro and former minister of State for Education, Kenneth Gbagi, all of whom have claimed that the governor had endorsed them, but Ibori had since penciled down Edevbie, his core loyalist who was his finance commissioner and later Principal Secretary to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, as Okowas successor.
It was gathered that Edevbie is next in line in the succession plan set up by Ibori. He is also said to have the backing of Okowa’s predecessor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, in what is turning into an Ibori/ Uduaghan versus Okowa contest until recently.
Yet, apart from the question about who becomes next governor, there are also some disagreements over who goes to the senate, particularly in Delta Central, Ibori’s Urhobo zone. Okowa is said to be favouring Chief John Nani, his loyalist, former commissioner for environment and executive director at Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (DESOPADEC), while Ibori has since backed Senator Ighoyota Amori, political adviser to former PDP national chairman, Uche Secondus.
Piqued by Okowa’s presumed moves to undermine him in this regard, Ibori lashed out, warning that those plotting to undermine his influence in Delta politics; and anyone conspiring to disgrace him shall suffer shame, an apparent reference to governor Okowa. Ibori who issued the warning during Amori’s declaration for Senate, at his Mosogar country home, Ethiope West local government area of the State, affirmed his support for Amori, while calling on the people of the district to support him.
He insisted that as a stakeholder in PDP and Urhobo nation, he should have a say on who becomes what in his senatorial district, while restarting his warning that those planning to undermine him, in an attempt to disgrace him at the poll will be disgraced by God. Ibori, perhaps knowing that he is in a very tight position in this regard, for the first time since he returned from London, paid a visit to Tompolo in his hometown of Oporoza, Gbaramatu Kingdom, to negotiate with the warlord. His outburst has since prompted moves by Okowa to douse tension.
The primary election was won by Oborevwori on 25 May 2022. But with discrepancies in Oborevwori’s certificates, Edevbie filed suit at the federal high court in Abuja where Justice Taiwo Taiwo ruled in his favour and directed PDP to forward Edevbie’s name to INEC in replacement for Oborevwori. But Oborevwori, not satisfied with the judgement, filed a stay of execution and appeal to the Court of Appeal in Abuja. The judgement at the Appeal Court was delivered technically in favour of Oborevwori.
Edevbie who was dissatisfied with the Appeal Court judgment approached the Supreme Court believing that the Appellate court erred in its judgment but Oborevwori won. Before the judgement, the two parties David Edevbie and Sheriff Oborevwori with their deputies, Nicholas Ossai, a member of the House of Representatives and Monday Onyeme, chairman of Delta board of internal revenue were displaying their posters claiming as candidates of the party in the state.
Tinubu who took a swipe at his PDP counterpart, Atiku Abubakar, alleging that Governor Okowa was allowing him (Abubakar) to use Delta’s treasury as the ATM for his 2023 presidential campaign, promised better days for Deltans with him as president and Omo-Agege as the governor, observing that the level of development in Delta was not commensurate with the amount of money coming into the state from the federation account and sundry financial support from the federal government especially under President Muhammadu Buhari. “I will revive the gas and industrial sector as well as the local ports in the state, making Delta to rank with Lagos state, where l was governor over 15 years ago, if the people voted the APC and do away with the PDP.
“I will fulfill promises made to you (referring to Nigerian youth). You are the future of this country. Your dreams will be realised for a stable and united Nigeria. Warri is going down. They don’t know the way; they don’t have the vision, the brain, the knowledge, the road to prosperity. Go to Lagos and see the development and records of beautiful people. Hope is here, development is here, progress is here, Omo-Agege is here and prosperity is here,” he said.
Nevertheless, the Delta State Government has dismissed the litany of allegations leveled against Governor Okowa, the PDP and its presidential candidate, describing the APC as a party of lies and failed promises, which should be rejected by all well-meaning Nigerians in 2023.
Spokesman for the Atiku Abubakar/Ifeanyi Okowa campaign organisation, Mr Charles Aniagwu, claimed that it’s untrue that his principal and Chief Ibori were not on good terms, insisting that their relationship was still intact.
Aniagwu said, “Need we remind Nigerians that the man talking about integrity is somebody whose identity is still unknown, still shrouded in secrecy? Somebody whose records are still in doubt cannot be the one talking. Our state cannot be in his pocket the way he did Lagos. Delta is not Lagos and our people cannot be deceived by such a person.”
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