Politics
DELTA 2023: Okowa, Ibori Face Up On Successor
Published
3 years agoon
By
Editor
Political gladiators and power brokers in Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Delta State, especially those from Delta Central senatorial district under the control of an eminent party juggernaut, took too lightly the capacity and authority of incumbent Governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, in their covert scheming for his successor in 2023, which has turned up to be a serious political miscalculation.
By last year (2021), the assemblage had selected its choice of Okowa’s successor, a former Commissioner of Urhobo extraction, his deputy, also an ex-Commissioner of Delta North origin, both members of the State Executive Council at the time. Several meetings had also been held in Lagos and other places to the effect with the famous party leader, who is a godfather with the governor put in the dark.
It was actually the effrontery that made Governor Okowa to dissolve his cabinet, May, last year, and he admitted that much when he told newsmen that there were distractions with two years to go then.
Dissolution of the state executive council, which affected all the serving commissioners and officials scrambling for governor while still in office, sent a very strong message to all the 2023 indigenous vestibule groups, including Delta Central 2023, DC-23, led by Deputy National Organizing Secretary, PDP, Chief Ighoyota Amori and Ijaw for 2023 Governor Lobby Group, steered by former Minister of Police Affairs, Alaowei Broderick Bozimo, on the governor’s unpreparedness to let power merchants dictate to him.
By now, it is apparent to the contending lobby groups and their promoters that they can make recommendations to the governor, but not foist their choice on him.
Ijaw Parade
Currently, Ijaw ethnic group in Delta South senatorial district is strutting Senator James Manager representing the district in the Senate; Deputy Governor of the state, Deacon Kingsley Otuaro and a former commissioner, Braduce Angozi. Otuaro, lawyer and conflict management expert believes that God has anointed him to take over from his boss, while Senator Manager, also a lawyer, is counting on on his old ties with the governor.
READ ALSO: Delta 2023: Omo-Agege Accused Of Promoting Ethnic Disunity In Warri, Delta
At the 90th Anniversary of the apex Urhobo socio-cultural group, Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, December, last year, Governor Okowa, charged the umbrella body to help prune down the number of governorship aspirants from Delta Central senatorial district.
Saturday Vanguard learned on good authority that the Bozimo –led group and others were working on the directive to reduce number of their aspirants, and even traditional rulers in the state are expected to submit their list of favored governorship aspirants to the governor.
DC-23 trims 12 to 5
Amori-led DC-23 had already cropped the list of Urhobo governorship aspirants from 12 to five and expected to submit names of top three aspirants to the governor in February. Those who made the list of five are former Managing Director of Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, Senator Emmanuel Aguarivwodo, former Commissioner for Works affected in the cabinet dissolution, Chief James Augoye, former Commissioner and Chief of Staff also affected in the cabinet dissolution, Olorogun David Edevbie, former Minister of State for Education Delta’s biggest private investor, Chief Kenneth Gbagi and Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Sheriff Oborevwori.
Receiving the interim report of the group’s screening committee headed by Prof Nyerhovwo Tonukari, last month, Chief Amori gave up to the ending of this month (January) to further shrink the number of five aspirants to three and submit its final report.
Olorogun Gbagi, the oldest PDP member among all the governorship aspirants in the state was the first to indicate interest in 2019 for 2023 governorship and has covered a lot of grounds. On the other hand, Rt. Hon. Oborevwori, who finally succumbed to pressures from strong politicians and friends across the state, ruminates that Delta will be in safe hands under his leadership. Olorogun Edevbie also thinks he is good enough to take over from Okowa, but Senator Aguariavwodo maintains that he knows exactly how to fix the state.
However, Urhobo PDP governorship aspirants who did not pass DC-23 first screening were Chief Fred Majemite, Hon Ejaife Odebala, Hon Efe Ofobruku, Chief Kenneth Okpara, now late, Chief Bright Edejeghwro, Hon. Festus Ovie Agas, Chief Abel Esievo and Chief Sunday Oruarefe.
Some of the vetoed aspirants, including Majemite and Ofobruku, were quick to disclaim the DC-23 screening. Only Odebala, a former lawmaker and chairman of Sapele local government area, appears to have let go. Chief Okpara died last month or so. It is uncertain if Hon Agas, former Secretary to the State Government, SSG, now Chief of Staff to Governor Okowa, attended the DC-23 screening in the first instance.
Either by omission or commission, DC-23 conveyed an impression that the group would most conceivably determine Urhobo consensus candidate, but then again, the governor soon shattered the illusions when he practically cut the cluster to size with the group currently subjecting itself to his instructions.
Except for some uncommon disapproval here and there, the political class in Delta North PDP and Delta South leaders and stakeholders are waiting for the governor to give directives on 2023 for them to follow.
Maneuverings
But that is not to say that there is no resistance to the seeming move of the governor. A former commissioner in the state, Dr. Tony Nwaka, who made in-explicit allusion on the governor’s style faced opposition and was slammed with a suspension by his local PDP chapter although the suspension reportedly lacked due process.
Nevertheless, Bozimo, who leads the Ijaw lobby group and Amori, DC-23, had lately clarified that they were not opposed to the governor’s influence. Bozimo’s son, Isaiah Bozimo Esq is presently the Commissioner for Justice under Okowa, He was appointed after his predecessor, Peter Mrakpor, also eyeing the governorship seat was fired, last year.
Amori from Mosogar, Ethiope West local government area, is warming up for Delta Central senatorial seat which he won at a time but later lost through the court to Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, of All Progressives Congress, APC, who defeated him in the court. At the moment, a former Commissioner and Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, DESOPADEC, Chief John Nani, from neighboring Idjerhe (Jesse), a sounding board of the governor, has also declared interest for the same position.
To those who understand the intrigues, it is either Amori subsumes whatever arrangement he has with others regarding palming off a governorship candidate under the canopy DC-23 or forfeit his senatorial ambition all over again.
Okowa meets Ibori
Thought-provoking, however, is the information corroborated by multiple sources that Governor Okowa had met with former governor, Chief James Ibori, to discuss the issue of his successor in 2023.
Saturday Vanguard learned that Ibori pointed out his favorite candidate (name withheld) to Okowa, but the governor opposed his choice and voiced his first choice (name also withheld) based on competence. Both men differed but mutually agreed that they would settle score at the primaries if there was no meeting point before then.
Governor Okowa has not made any public pronouncement on either his meeting with Ibori or choice for 2023, but discerning politicians already know. For now, he has continued his consolidation on power by inviting some PDP leaders in government to weigh up some developments ahead 2023.
“Before long, the governor, as he promised, last year, will convene a meeting of PDP leaders across the state to examine the issue of the party’s 2023 governorship ticket and possibility of getting a consensus candidate,” a PDP leader told this paper.
“He is already consulting with other party leaders on the way forward. You know he made it clear last time that only God can determine his successor. But as a human being and even as governor, you can only play your role, it is God that has the final say,” the party leader added.
But it is open secret that the governor has enormous power over the party’s delegates if indirect primaries method is to be used to determine his successor, and so Ibori, a political tactician is most probable to go back over his position.
Counter offensive
A group of politicians marveled at how the governor has ingeniously weaved his way and became very powerful were cautiously meeting on how to checkmate him, but the problem is that Okowa seems to be many steps ahead of them.
“As a grassroots politician with wide contacts, he not only knows and anticipates their plan, he foils their intentions before they execute it and they are befuddled,” a source hinted.
With the power struggle still one, more people have come to realization there is a political proclivity in the party that the governor would not want to surrender power to because they will loot the state dry, and they are now willing to tackle the forces.
According to our source: “Some people want Okowa to leave the forces to have their way or close his eyes and allow whoever the system throws up to succeed him, but the governor thinking about the future of the state knows that the greatest disservice he will render to the state is to stay aloof and allow plunderers to take over the state.”
“Some claim that Okowa outsmarted them, the truth is that Okowa did not outsmart anybody, he is only being sincere and truthful on the realities on ground. And it is his sincerity that has endeared him to Deltans,” he added.
READ ALSO: Delta 2023: Ijaw Clamour To Produce Gov Not Out Of Place – Uduaghan
Gbagi dares Ibori
However, at a New Year get together with members of the Gbagi Solidarity Movement, GSM, Gbagi, who knew that Ibori had a different candidate, boasted that Ibori had endorsed him and challenged him say otherwise.
His words: “I visited the former governor, two of us had a discussion and he said, ‘Olorogun Gbagi, I came back to the country and everywhere I go in the state, I hear Gbagi. I do not know anybody who can be governor in the state and turn situation around positively than yourself, Gbagi.’
“After those things he had told me, I said to Chief James Ibori, look all these good things that you have told me, tell them to Governor Okowa and he said to me, ‘Take my word for it, I will tell the governor that you are the next governor or nothing else.’ Chief James Ibori will not deny himself, I say it the way it is.
“And when I met Chief Ibori recently in Abuja, he said to me that many people think we are enemies but they do not understand,” Gbagi asserted. More than a week after the Gbagi bolt from the blue went viral, Ibori was yet to react his claim.”
(VANGUARD)
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Politics
APC Now Mourns Buhari After Blaming Him For Failures—ADC
Published
7 hours agoon
July 15, 2025By
Editor
African Democratic Congress, ADC, has accused APC and the federal government of hypocrisy over their sudden display of grief, following the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
The ADC said the ruling party, which had spent the last two years blaming Buhari for Nigeria’s challenges, was now seeking to portray itself as the chief mourner.
In a statement signed by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary and spokesperson for the opposition coalition, the party reaffirmed its declaration of a three-day mourning period across all its chapters and structures, beginning today.
READ ALSO:Why I Support ADC’s Coalition But Remain In PDP — Lamido
‘’During this period, the ADC will suspend all political activities and public statements in honour of Buhari’s contributions to the country.
“Regardless of political affiliations, what cannot be denied is that President Buhari served this country with a fierce sense of duty, personal discipline, and conviction,” the statement read.
The party also highlighted Buhari’s popularity among ordinary Nigerians, especially the poor, who, it said, ‘stuck with him throughout his political sojourn and thereafter.’
READ ALSO:97 Lawyers Line Up To Defend ADC, Mark, Aregbesola Against APC’s ‘Fake Lawsuit’
However, the ADC expressed disappointment over what it called APC’s sudden shift in tone, saying “we note with regrets that his own political party and the government, which had done everything in the last two years to tarnish his records, dismantle his legacies, and blame him for every one of their failings, are now posturing as the chief mourners at his burial.’’
The party described this behaviour as ‘sheer hypocrisy’ and a ‘brazen move to harvest political gains from a national tragedy.’
It further urged Buhari’s family and loyalists to be cautious of what it called political opportunism during this mourning period, and encouraged Nigerians to reflect on Buhari’s enduring qualities.
“Let his memory be a mirror that reflects the personal ethics we must continue to demand from leadership for generations to come,” Abdullahi added.
(VANGUARD)
Politics
Why I Support ADC’s Coalition But Remain In PDP — Lamido
Published
7 hours agoon
July 15, 2025By
Editor
Former Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, has said while his support for the Senator David Mark-led adopted party, African Democratic Congress, ADC, remained, his loyalty to Peoples Democratic Party PDP, was unquestionable.
This came on a day African Democratic Congress, ADC, accused the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the federal government of hypocrisy over their sudden display of grief, following the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Lamido spoke to a crowd of his loyalists at an empowerment event organised by Senator Mustapha Khabeeb (PDP, Jigawa South West), in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, over the weekend.
The former governor, who is one of the founding fathers of the PDP, said the coalition of opposition parties was put together to salvage Nigerians from the misrule of the ruling All Progressives Congress in order to rebuild Nigeria.
READ ALSO: ADC Unveiled In Benue, Woo Gov Alia
Lamido said: “Yes, I support the coming together of the opposition under the ADC, but let it be known I will never leave the PDP. I built this house with my sweat and soul. My role now is to offer guidance and ensure Nigeria finds her way back.”
He blasted the APC-led administration at both the state and federal levels for failing the people in every sphere of governance.
“The three PDP federal lawmakers from Jigawa are serving the people. APC lawmakers? They’re serving only themselves. Let the people judge.” He declared.
In a symbolic gesture to signal unity among opposition parties in the state, Lamido introduced Kabiru Hussaini, the state ADC chairman to the PDP crowd.
Senator Mustapha Khabeeb, the host of the event, echoed Lamido’s sentiments, reminding the audience of the PDP’s legacy of progress, especially during Lamido’s time as governor.
He said: “From 1999 to 2015, and especially under Sule Lamido, Jigawa knew what development looked like—roads, schools, hospitals, real change. What do we have now? APC has brought nothing but hunger and hopelessness.”
Khabeeb equally showcased his efforts to continue the PDP legacy through massive empowerment drives.
According to him, this year alone, over 3,000 people were lifted by distribution of equipment, including 600 irrigation machines,100 solar-powered irrigation units,100 paddy rice threshers, sewing and grinding machines and 750 sprayers and 3,000 litres of herbicide
“We’re not waiting for miracles, we’re working. Just like we did last year, and in 2023, we’re lifting our people out of poverty one tool, one machine at a time.
“Compare for yourself—under PDP and Lamido, there was progress. Under APC? Na talauci kawai suka kawo (they only brought poverty),’’ the lawmaker said.
The rally ended with chants of PDP solidarity, as supporters vowed to defend the party’s legacy and prepare for what many are calling a grand opposition comeback in 2027.
(VANGUARD)
Politics
Obaseki: Leader, I Know How Pained You Are,’ Wike Apologises To Oshiomhole
Published
8 hours agoon
July 15, 2025By
Editor
Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has apologised to Sen. Adams Oshiomhole, a former governor of the state, for humiliating him over Godwin Obaseki.
INFO DAILY recalls that Wike, who was the chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Council for Edo 2020 gubernatorial election (Obaseki Re-election), had, during his appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, November 4, 2020, edition said the governor (Obaseki) has “resolved to quash acts of violence by the APC, its sacked National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, and the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu.”
He added during the show: “Four years ago, the former national chairman of the APC said that Obaseki was his brain box and the person behind everything he achieved; it is clear, he said so. The same man said the PDP candidate in the 2016 election was not electable.
READ ALSO: I Don’t Owe Anybody Explanation On Truce With Fubara – Wike
“Why was he not electable? According to Oshiomhole, Ize-Iyamu can’t be trusted with money. The same man who you could not give an appointment or entrust with money is the same man you are telling Edo people to now vote for.
“You wake up in the morning and you tell Edo people something, and in the night you call the same Edo people and say, what I said in the morning, I didn’t mean it; how do we now know the one that you meant?” Wike queried.
But Wike, who has been in a political romance with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its leader in recent time, profuriously apologized to Comrade Oshiomhole in a statement made available to newsmen by his spokesman, Mr Lere Olayinka.
READ ALSO: ‘Peace Has Returned To Rivers’ — Wike, Fubara Speak After Meeting Tinubu
Wike said: “Leader, I know how pained you are and what you passed through; I know it was like a humiliation to you.
“I was part of it because I humiliated you while supporting Obaseki. I apologised to you on national TV and I am still saying sorry for what I did to you.”
Wike was in Edo to inaugurate the newly constructed Edo Line Terminal in Benin, which is the second phase of the Benin Central Bus Terminal.
The event was, however, cancelled following the demise of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
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