By Comrade Ikechukwu Chukwudi-Abiandu
As expected, the dawn of 2026 has broken with a necessary display of courage and ambition that is legally acceptable, and should be welcomed by everyone who believes in the democratic system we operate and the push to make it perfect.
The rumours of the former governor of Delta State nursing a Senatorial ambition comes with mixed reactions that take into consideration electoral weariness, the shock of losing Delta State at the 2023 presidential election where he was a vice presidential candidate, the lingering alleged corruption cases against him from the EFCC, which have considerably dimmed the spark that his aspiration may have once commanded, and the rising or peaking popularity of Senator Ned Nwoko, are encumbrances that threaten to stop the aspiration even before it is declared.
But from the feelers, Okowa is not alone in this aspiration to unseat Ned. Okenmor Tilije, Pascal Adigwe, Victor Nwokolo and Hilary Ibegbulem have all been mooted to have interests at the Red Chamber, but what keeps the status quo at the advantaged position is the effortless manner Ned Nwoko demystifies the office of the Senator, where he has been able to establish a never-before-seen relationship between the people and their representative, and not just the political class.
In a conversation with Senator Ned Nwoko after he had informed us of the Governor’s intended defection in February 2025, someone asked how he would take the possible Senatorial aspiration of the former governor or another new entrant, and his response was ” The more the merrier, the party would be the ultimate beneficiary and the people will have options to choose from”.
This mindset is only possible when sincerity combines with a superlative work rate that bears fruit which can hardly be disputed by even detractors who end up sounding like broken records when denying the Senator’s commendable stewardship.
In 2024 through early 2025, Senator Ned Nwoko was reputed to be the Senator with the highest number of bills, motions in the present dispensation with a total of 31 contributions on bills alone.
Achieving this feat in under two years is astonishing, but when noting that by the end of 2025, two of his bills had scaled all legislative scrutiny and are before the president today, awaiting assent, we can only conclude that he has raised the bar beyond where comparisons exist in Delta North stewardship discourse, past and present.
An interesting aspect of this information is that among those who are rumoured to be nursing senatorial aspirations, are past and serving legislators, but many can’t boast of a similar work rate, which thus leaves Delta North senatorial district with a big question: “Where is the wisdom in replacing a performer with someone whose best falls short of the standards set in the past three years to say the least?”
Furthermore and for what it’s worth, history exists to teach and those who fail to learn from history will become tales of caution rather than testimonies of success.
In 2023, the Delta North APC was in the unfortunate situation of fielding a candidate who was going through the grills of the judiciary, and eventually become incapacitated by binding judicial pronouncements that took no care for the political plight of APC members. We were forced to campaign for a candidate in absentia, because he was in jail for corruption charges, and even when he won his legal battles, the deed had been done and the campaign was ruined, despite the efforts of noblemen like Prof Leroy Edozien, Evangelist Moses Kamanya and others.
Today, feelers from the EFCC indicate that finishing touches are being put on the case concerning the rumoured prosecution of this same former governor of Delta state, even as informants insist that an arraignment may take place in the coming weeks or months, pending final verification of accounts under scrutiny.
The chairman of the EFCC has also made clear comments that indicate he will be prosecuted.
This development poses a risk to the political future of Delta Northerners who do not deserve to be lured into supporting aspirants who may in the near future, become guests of the EFCC or other law enforcement agencies for prolonged periods of time, as well as, become engaged in protracted legal battle to clear their names of alleged wrongdoing and secure the much needed freedom to engage in political activities freely.
These developments need to be studied and proactively curtailed to avoid a repeat of the 2023 scenario, thus the APC in Delta North must settle for the politically secure aspiration for 2027.
While all aspirations are welcome, foresight and the evidence of performance make Senator Ned Nwoko, a politician with no run-ins with the law, who has no reason to play hide and seek with law enforcement agencies, the safer choice by a million miles.
Comrade Ikechukwu Chukwudi-Abiandu is the Digital Media Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, he hails from Igbodo, Ika North East LGA. He is also Director-General, Delta North APC New Media Community
