AUSTIN OYIBODE
Finally, the D- day has come. The day that will decide the political destiny of some and the day in which some political destinies will crash and may never resurrect for eternity. It is the day blood pressure may rise to THE peak and may eventually lead to hospitalisation. It is the day to show political might and who decides the fate of Delta, the big heart. Yes, it is the day of shouts for some but the day of mourning for others. It is the day to decide who holds the axe and who must be grounded.
As it is now the battle for the governorship of Delta state is between Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, former Governor James Ibori and the Ijaw people with Senator James Manager and Deputy Governor Kingsley Burutu Otuaro as front runners. On Monday, news broke out of Olorogun Barrister Kenneth Gbagi dropping out of the race but he still insists he will be on the ballot papers for the primaries. If he remains he will be the fourth man in the battle line, to be followed by Mr. Peter Mrakpor, former attorney general of the state.
Prior to this day, it has been war of words among the media team of especially David Edevbie and Sheriff Oborevwori. There have been meetings upon meetings to iron out the disagreement between Okowa and Ibori, but all to no avail. National chairman of the party, Iyorcha Ayu, has waded in but the efforts were in total futility. Okowa stood his ground, Ibori stood his ground. Okowa is 100 percent in support of House of Assembly Speaker, Sheriff Oborevwori while Ibori is a die-hard supporter of David Edevbie. The Ijaws were advised to step down but they vehemently refused, saying it is the turn of the Ijaws to produce Delta state governor, hence they vowed never to step down and wait for the next eight years.
Ibori has been the political leader of the state since his emergence as governor in 1999 till date. Okowa became governor in 2015, not without the muscle of James Ibori. But now Okowa is set to root out all the remaining political strength of Ibori and enthrone his people in power, thus becoming the next godfather of the oil-rich Delta state. But Ibori, who is highly respected among the political bigwigs of the state and even the nation is not set to step down now for his political godson. Ibori has tried every means to bring Okowa to understand and surrender to his candidate, all his efforts have been completely rebuffed.
Okowa is exerting his influence as the governor of the state since he is in control of the instrument of state. All the state government functionaries are on his side, and they are ready to either sink with him or fly to glory with him. In almost all social media outlets, Okowa’s boys are everywhere championing the Sheriffied slogan of Sheriff Oborevwori while others who are on the side of Edevbie are throwing back the missiles to the Sheriff camp. Okowa has perfected all the technicalities and has knocked every other aspirant almost out of the way, bringing them to silence but Edevbie’s camp is the only one pushing and sending the political missiles back to them.
It has been a guerilla war but very cold, only visible on the media but not in functions and meetings. In meetings, they hug, exchange pleasantries and laugh out their lives but in actuality there is no friendship. This is one of the fiercest political battles I have ever seen since the history of Delta. However, Ibori seems to be winning. And this is why. The two major elections of House of Representatives and Senate, Ibori’s candidates won. Ibori’s daughter, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, won the Ethiope federal constituency while Chief Ighoyota Amori, another die-hard ally of Ibori won the Delta central senatorial seat. These are pointers to the fact that Ibori has not been completely pushed out of the political ring.
On the side of the Ijaws, Senator James Manager is said to be very ready to employ all his political arsenal to clinch the PDP governorship ticket. He has been in the senate since 2003, representing Delta south. But his impact seems not to be too visible in the area, probably due to the coastal or riverine nature of the region. He is said to be a quiet but wise politician who can spring surprises. He is not in the camp of those who give up. Despite the calls and entreaties for Delta Ijaw to step down, Manager has remained resilient and is believing that he will win the party ticket.
Kingsley Otuaro, also of Ijaw axis, who is being supported by Tompolo, is the state deputy governor. Except he is bent to change history and break the jinx, over the years, deputy governors have never taken over from their bosses. However, he has severally said that his ambition is divine and driven by the Supreme Being, a belief that has given him the impetus to forge on, and on Wednesday, May 25, 2022 history may be made. He has also stiffly resisted the call for Ijaw to step down for the Urhobos, joining his voice to his kinsmen who have insisted that it is the turn of the Ijaws to govern Delta state.
So, the battle, as it is now, is between Ibori/Edevbie, Okowa/Oborevwori and the people of Ijaws. If the Ijaws win, it will be a big blow to Okowa and Ibori, and if Oborevwori wins, Ibori will have lost his political relevance but if Edevbie wins, Ibori will still be the decider of the political movement in the state.
For now, the three camps of Okowa, Ibori and Ijaws are at daggers drawn. No one can correctly predict what will happen at Stephen Keshi stadium on Wednesday. Anything, both expected and unexpected, is bound to happen. The anticipated winner could become the big loser while the man who is seen to be in the distance could eventually emerge as the big winner.
We understand that heavy political bigwigs have “kidnapped” the delegates and camped them in the most expensive hotels in town. We also understand that their phones have been confiscated until after the election. The objective is not far-fetched, it is to block other aspirants from assessing them so that their minds are mot diverted.
