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
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