Monday, December 15, 2014

Okowa’s victory: The Inside story


Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South Festus Ahon & Theresa Ugbobu
Senator Ifeanyi Okowa’s emergence as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Delta State was not just the result of the steadfastness and steel of the candidate. There were many other factors.
While he is generally appreciated for his political integrity, last Monday’s victory has unmistakably highlighted the grip on the state chapter of the PDP of associates of the immediate past governor of the state, Chief James Ibori on the party. Okowa served in Chief James Ibori’s cabinet like Senator James Manager, who joined forces to push forward Okowa’s victory.
Consensus candidate
Okowa polled 406 votes beating to second place, Olorogun David Edevbie, the consensus candidate of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) who also had the political machinery of  the state government behind him with 299 votes. Other results as announced by Sunday Kareem, the returning officer were as follows:  Victor Ochei (185 votes), Ndudi Elumelu (50 votes), Godsday Orubebe (49) and Godswill Obielum (22). Sylvester Monye, Ovie Omo-Agege and Sam Obi got 10 votes each;  Peter Okocha had six votes, Tony Obuh (five), Charles Emetulu (four), Kenneth Gbagi (two) and Mike Uwaka (one vote). One vote was voided.
2006 power shift agreement
It was learned on good authority that Ibori insisted on the power shift arrangement by leaders of the party, eight years ago, which is that Delta North senatorial district should produce the governor in 2015. This was against the clamour by the UPU, the apex sociocultural group of his Delta Central district for an Urhobo governorship flag bearer.
Incompatible dissimilarities
It was, however, palpable that there were some irreconcilable differences between Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan and Okowa which only the two personalities can explain.   While Uduaghan stood wholeheartedly for a Delta North successor, his mind was not on Okowa and his body language pointed to the retired permanent secretary, Mr. Anthony Obuh. Until the last minute swing by his political machinery, Obuh was generally perceived as the man to beat in the contest.
Okowa or nobody else
Those who served with Okowa in the Ibori government were said to have insisted on Okowa forging ahead a development that pushed those opposed to him to the wall, and brought up the idea of using Edevbie to stop him through the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU.
UPU’s debacle
•Senator Ifeanyi Okowa flanked by his wife and Professor Sam Oyobvbaire during his governorship declaration in Asaba, Delta State.
The UPU assumed that its threat to switch the much trumpeted 800,000 Urhobo votes against President Jonathan was what made President Jonathan to order Governor Uduaghan to support its candidate, Edevbie, but it probably read the handwriting on the wall wrongly. The strings were from no other person than their son, Chief Ibori, who contended that the Edevbie project would not fly.
Comrade Paul Bebenimibo, a senior adviser to ex-militant leader, Chief Godwin Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, distanced the president from the affair saying “That is a lie, President Jonathan is not involved in the matter, he did not give any directive, they should leave him out of it.”
Bebenimibo, chairman of Okowa Mandate 2015, who earlier told Vanguard that Okowa would win, despite the UPU gang –up against Delta North, said, “We, the Ijaw people from Delta South senatorial district, except for some few that voted for the former Minister of Niger-Delta, Elder Godsday Orubebe, worked for Okowa because we know he is the leader that Delta state needs now.”
An Ijaw governorship aspirant, Mr. Andrew Warri, who stepped down for Okowa, told Vanguard, “Okowa deserved the victory, my people told me to step down and work for him. I had to respect their position, the primary was free and fair, nobody can fault the process.”
Okowa is known to be loved by the political class in the state, but his tiff with Uduaghan alienated some persons until the eleventh hour when the Ibori followers rallied round him. Senator James Manager, who is also of the Ibori political family, led his Ijaw kinsmen, while Tompolo, did a yeoman job behind the scene.
Nwaoboshi undeterred till the last minute
Former state chairman of the party, Chief Peter Nwaoboshi, who had boasted that it was Delta North in 2015, was not deterred by the last minute momentum towards Edevbie. He told Vanguard five hours before the votes were counted, “Mark it, you will see what will happen, there is no way Delta Central is going to get it.”
Nwaoboshi shook hands triumphantly with Senator Manager shortly after Ijaw delegates cast their votes, probably for a job well done. This was before the votes were counted. The refusal of Delta North aspirants to arrive at a consensus candidate for the primary worried the Ibori political family, but that notwithstanding, it deployed its immense muscle in the three senatorial districts to deliver Okowa.
Shocker for UPU
An Urhobo leader said, “In fact, the UPU was shocked that some Urhobo people voted for Okowa instead of Edevbie. Even though the votes from all the local governments were mixed and counted together, it was clear when the Delta Central local governments were being counted that they were betrayers in the house.”
 “It was Ibori that directed that Chief Ighoyota Amori should get the Delta Central senatorial ticket and before you know it, the same Amori that lost to Senator Emmanuel Aguariavwodo, some months ago, emerged as flag bearer.   You see, this is politics, Amori and others, even though they are all under UPU, have no choice than to work for the candidate of their man,” he added.
Few hours to the primary, the adoption of Chief Edevbie by UPU apparently in consultation with the powers that be instilled fear in some of the aspirants and made some, including the deputy governor, Prof Amos Utuama, to drop from the race.
The Urhobo political class and other government officials, who were giving marching orders to deliver Chief Edevbie worked hard as most of them moved from one delegate to the other, canvassing for votes without fruitful results. Most of them beyond what they were given, spent their personal money to woo delegates but to no avail.
One reason the Ijaw kicked against Edevbie was that they saw him as a member of the cabal that worked against the ascension of Dr. Jonathan as acting president when President Umaru Yar’Adua took ill in 2009. The Ijaw gave bloc votes to Dr Okowa, vowing that the man, who worked against the emergence of their kinsman (Jonathan) would get their votes.
Bitter lesson for UPU
As a matter of fact, the emergence of Dr. Okowa was akin to a political revolution in the state as people from the three senatorial districts voted him regardless of whatever order they were given. Most importantly, the leadership of the UPU would learn a bitter lesson from this because it threw their weight behind a ‘goat’ in a fight meant for lions’.
Political mystery
A political analyst hinted, yesterday, “What   happened in Delta state is a political mystery. It is a clear indication that nobody is God or can play God. When they say 24 hours is long time in politics, nobody should dismiss the statement in a hurry because that is exactly what played out in the state.”
“Can you explain why Dr. Uduaghan had to step down for Senator Manager in the Delta South primary, forget the explanation that it was for peace and security of the state, did you not see what happened to Mr. Obuh, who only 48 hours to the primary was the man to beat.
“Things changed, all just because of a call by Ibori’s men to associates that Okowa is the man to take over from Uduaghan. Even the governor could not stop it, it was power against power,” he stated.
Three reasons why Okowa won – Prof Oyovbaire
Chairman of the Okowa Advisory Committee, the think-tank that weathered the storm, Prof Sam Oyovbaire, however, gave Vanguard further insight into what happened.   He said Okowa won because of the credible that was put in place to actualize his ambition, the commitment and suitability of Okowa himself to the project and the prevarication of officialdom on favoured and non-favoured aspirants.
It was learned that even there were challenges of finance, Okowa rose up to the occasion, so his group was able to soldier ahead and the strongest of the challenges was the support of officialdom for different aspirants.   Oyovbaire, however, said that the shift from Aspirant A, B to C and all that by officialdom, rather than worry the Okowa group, emboldened it to believe that officialdom could still dump the man chosen at the last minute and that was what happened.
He said given that the delegates for the primary were supposed to be 1,080, the Okowa group worked day and night with its candidate, tackling all sort of rumors and building bridges and calculated that Okowa would get nothing less than 500 votes and leave others to share the remaining. Okowa, however, won with 406 votes, 94 votes short of the projected figure.
Other forces
Majority leader of the House of Assembly, Chief Monday Igbuya, who was working for Tony Obuh, former state chairman of the party, Patrick Sinebe from Patani, Senator James Manager, name them, all had to join forces from Delta South and Central to deliver Okowa following Ibori’s directive. Igbuya could not obey the UPU directive because of the sanction against him over his support for Obuh.
“The Commissioner representing Itsekiri on the board of DESOPADEC, Chief Michael Diden, aka Ejele, who is from Warri North, Governor Uduaghan’s local government, did not work for Edevbie because he is an unrepentant Okowa man. He fought tooth and nail to ensure that Okowa won in Asaba.”
Uduaghan congratulates Okowa
In the spirit of love, Uduaghan congratulated Okowa Monday night on his victory. In a press statement issued by his chief press secretary, Mr. Sunny Ogefere, he described Okowa’s victory as well deserving.  Uduaghan who is leader of the PDP in the state, charged Okowa to demonstrate the spirit of sportsmanship by quickly extending a hand of fellowship to other contestants. He also called on the other aspirants to note that the exercise was a family contest where there was no winner no loser, urging them to join hands with Okowa in positioning the party for victory at the general elections.
- See more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/12/okowas-victory-inside-story/#sthash.VO5mtI4W.dpuf

No comments:

Post a Comment