Politics

LP, Delta Govt Disagree On Oborevwori’s First 100 Days

Published

3 years ago

September 9, 2023

One hundred days is a very short time for any meaningful assessment of governance. But if an administrator hits the ground running from the first day in office, reasonable milestones can be identified within the period.

Prior to his inauguration as Governor of Delta State, Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori was perceived by a section of the populace as incompetent.

This perception was not unconnected to the tag of ‘street credibility’ attached to him during the campaigns ahead of the 2023 gubernatorial election in the state. “Why would you want to make someone who says he is a street man governor?” those who doubted his capacity to govern the state asked.

But the governor has been able to convince some of the cynics since assuming office on May 29. But many are yet to be convinced.

Incidentally, Oborevwori has promised to take development beyond what exists in the state by doing more for the people through his M.O.R.E agenda.

After taking over the reins of office on May 29, Oborevwori visited Warri South Local Government Area to inspect the multi billion naira storm water drainage project. The visit was meant to be an on-the-spot assessment of the project which is designed to avert flooding in the Warri/Uvwie axis and thereby ensure that the oil rich city returns to its glory days.

Expectedly, residents trooped out to catch a glimpse of their governor. Residents of First Marine Gate, one of the communities in the area, used the opportunity of the governor’s visit to inform him of their challenges, especially how they had lived in perennial darkness for years as a result of a faulty transformer.

Moved by their pleas, the governor instantly ordered that the faulty transformer be replaced, a pledge which was fulfilled within a week. A 500KVA transformer was delivered to the community by Warri South LGA chairman, Dr. Michael Tidi.

Receiving the transformer, the chairman of the community, Mr. Omoefe Agaga, thanked the governor for the kind gesture, promising to protect the transformer from vandals.

The recent escalation of hostilities between Aladja community in Udu LGA and Ogbe-Ijoh in Warri South West LGA may have come as a surprise to many.

This was especially because the two communities signed a peace pact not long ago. Oborevwori deployed mediation strategies to resolve the crisis, thereby raising hopes of more enduring peace between the warring communities. He directed the traditional institution to step in, leading to a rapprochement.

As a result, the Orodje of Okpe, His Royal Majesty, King Felix Mujakperuo, Chairman of the Delta State Council of Traditional Rulers, summoned monarchs from both Urhobo and Ijaw nations to his palace.

The Ovie of Uvwie, Oborevwori’s second homeland after Okpe, HRM Abe 1, Chairman of Urhobo Traditional Rulers Council led other traditional rulers to the meeting.

The Ijaw Traditional Rulers Council was led by its chairman, HRM Elder (Capt.) Joseph Timiyan, the Ebenanaowei of Ogulagha kingdom.

In arriving at a resolution, the royal fathers were guided by the governor’s clear message to the communities that were up in arms: “No amount of land is worth dying for because when you fight and kill yourselves, the land will still remain”.

Ultimately, it is hoped that lasting peace has been restored following the royal intervention as directed by the governor.

To address perennial flooding challenges in the state, Oborevwori constituted a 14-man 2023 Flood Disaster Management Committee. Inaugurating the Committee, Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Dr Kingsley Emu, charged members to sensitise citizens of the state, especially those living in coastal communities, of the need to move to higher grounds.

Speaking during the inaugural meeting, Emu charged the members of the committee to be diligent with the assignment as a lot depended on ensuring that flood victims are adequately catered for.

The SSG also stated that jingles should be aired on broadcast stations with a view to enlightening the public on the need to take precaution by moving out from flood prone areas to avoid being caught-up by the impending flood.

The SSG also spoke of plans to set up camps in the flood-hit areas of the State to accommodate those who may be affected by the impending flood.

But not everybody is impressed with the governor’s efforts, so far.

The South-South Chairman of the Labour Party, Chief Tony Ezeagwu, noted that even after the Federal Government allocated N5 billion to Delta State for palliatives, no relief material has been distributed in the state.

“In Delta State have you seen anything that is being showcased as palliative? Where is it being distributed?”, Ezeagwu asked.

The SSG, Emu, however explained that to ameliorate the suffering of citizens following the removal of petrol subsidy, the state government has commenced implementation of various palliative measures.

However, the Labour Party has passed a damning verdict on Oborevwori’s first 100 days in office as Delta State governor.

Ezeagwu, the Chairman of the LP in the South-South, told DAILY POST that in the Governor’s first 100 days, the State “is lacking the spark of governance”.

Although he agreed that 100 days is not enough to do much, Ezeagwu said the Governor should have addressed transportation challenges in the State by rehabilitating bad roads and providing mass transit buses.

“It would have reduced the high transport cost currently being experienced by the people. That would have been very good,” he said.

Asked to assess Oborevwori’s first 100 days as governor, the LP South-South leader said, “As far as I am concerned, there’s nothing to be excited about because the Governor has done nothing tangible on ground; so there is nothing to show for his administration’s 100 days.”

Ezeagwu added that while the Governor has been visiting different parts of the State, “we have not seen anything tangible in terms of governance”.

He added, “What is on ground is what former governor Ifeanyi Okowa left behind. There’s no new thing. He (Oborevwori) has been visiting places without governance. Visiting is not governance. He should engage himself in actual governance.”
DAILY POST

Politics

In Defence Of Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe: The Generational Shift Reshaping Edo Politics

Published

20 hours ago

May 27, 2026

Editor

By DAN Osa-Ogbegie

For decades, Edo politics remained trapped within a narrow and predictable cycle of political recycling. The same ageing actors moved endlessly from one office to another, from one administration to the next, and from one political alignment to another, as though leadership in Edo State had become the exclusive inheritance of a permanent political aristocracy.

Meanwhile, thousands of intelligent, energetic, and capable young Edo people watched helplessly from the margins while opportunities for leadership, governance, party administration, and public service remained tightly controlled by individuals whose political relevance dated back several decades.

That unhealthy political culture is now gradually changing.

Today, one of the most important political transformations taking place within the All Progressives Congress in Edo State is the deliberate transition from recycled political gerontocracy to a younger generation of political actors. That transition is unfolding under the leadership of Senator Monday Okpebholo, Governor of Edo State and Leader of the APC in Edo State, together with the State Chairman of the party, Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe.

Predictably, such a shift has unsettled entrenched interests.

Those who became accustomed to monopolising political relevance naturally feel threatened by the emergence of a younger generation that is increasingly assertive, visible, influential, and institutionally empowered. Yet, history teaches a simple lesson: no political structure survives indefinitely without renewal.

No serious political party can continue recycling the same exhausted political machinery forever while expecting innovation, grassroots energy, modern governance ideas, and long-term political sustainability.

That reality appears to be clearly understood by Governor Monday Okpebholo and Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe.

Much of the criticism unfairly directed at Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe in recent times stems from the fact that he has become one of the visible faces of this generational transition within Edo APC. Beneath the noise, propaganda, and political bitterness lies an undeniable truth: the party is consciously opening spaces for younger people in ways not seen for many years.

From the youthful Deputy Chairman of APC in Edo State, Sylvester Aigboboh, to several younger commissioners, Special Advisers, members of the State Executive Council, board chairmen, local government administrators, and strategic appointees across government, the evidence of deliberate political renewal is becoming increasingly impossible to ignore.

In Uhunmwode Local Government Area, Hon. Austin Imafidon has emerged as one of the young faces of focused governance and grassroots administration. Beyond politics, he has already established himself successfully in business, bringing into governance the mindset of productivity, enterprise, and modern administrative engagement.

In Etsako, Hon. Sunny Ekpeson has continued to attract national attention as the youngest ALGON Chairman in Nigeria, representing a clear departure from the era where local government leadership was treated as the permanent preserve of ageing political operators disconnected from younger demographics.

In Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, Hon. Eric Osawaru represents another example of the younger political generation now entrusted with leadership responsibilities, while in Oredo Local Government Area, Engr. Gabriel Iduseri equally reflects the growing confidence being reposed in younger administrators within the APC structure.

In Owan, Hon. Aitalegbe Ernest, popularly known as “China Boy,” has also emerged as one of the prominent young political figures gaining traction as the incoming Chairman of the local government, further reinforcing the expanding generational transition currently taking shape across Edo State.

The same pattern is visible across government institutions and strategic agencies.

Pastor Stanley Dave Ighodaro, a successful entrepreneur with thriving business interests in Europe, now heads the Edo State Parks and Gardens Agency. His emergence reflects an increasingly important shift towards bringing professionally exposed and globally minded younger individuals into governance and public administration.

Similarly, Kassim Otono, who serves as Special Adviser on Oil and Gas to the Executive Governor of Edo State, represents another example of younger technocratic involvement within the present administration. His inclusion within such a strategic sector underscores the growing confidence being placed in younger professionals and politically aware technocrats within government.

This is how enduring institutions are built.

A political party that refuses to regenerate itself eventually becomes intellectually stagnant, structurally weak, and electorally disconnected from evolving social realities.

Governor Monday Okpebholo deserves commendation for recognising that governance in a rapidly changing society cannot remain permanently tied to political methods and leadership assumptions developed several decades ago. Contemporary governance demands adaptability, technological awareness, stronger grassroots engagement, administrative energy, and a deeper connection with younger populations.

Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe equally deserves credit for helping stabilise the party while managing this difficult but necessary transition process. Generational shifts are never easy within political systems historically dominated by established interests. Resistance is inevitable. Political resentment is expected. Internal anxieties naturally emerge whenever old monopolies begin to weaken.

Leadership, however, requires courage.

The recently concluded primaries further revealed this evolving direction within the APC. The emergence of candidates such as Rt. Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, Osazee Igbinovia, Dr. Emmanuel Paddy Iyamu, Omosede Igbinedion, Sir Lucky Eseigbe, and Odianosen Okojie reflects a growing political philosophy that increasingly values capacity, grassroots relevance, contemporary appeal, and generational continuity.

Equally symbolic is the emergence of several young Acting Local Government Council Chairmen who are now candidates of the party in the forthcoming local government elections. That development sends a powerful message across Edo State that political participation is gradually becoming more accessible to younger people with competence, commitment, and organisational value.

For too long, many young people in Edo politics were reduced to political spectators, social media defenders, praise singers, or election-day foot soldiers while actual power remained tightly guarded elsewhere. Such a model was never sustainable.

A society that continuously sidelines its younger generation ultimately weakens its own political future.

The ongoing transition within Edo APC does not amount to hostility towards elders or experienced political actors. Experience remains valuable. Elder statesmen still possess institutional memory and political wisdom that younger actors can benefit from immensely. Mentorship, however, must never become political suffocation. Guidance must never evolve into permanent political domination.

Every generation deserves the opportunity to participate meaningfully in shaping the future it will eventually inherit.

That is precisely why the current direction of the APC leadership in Edo State deserves objective acknowledgement rather than emotional hostility.

Many of those attacking Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe today are not truly angry about party administration. Their deeper discomfort arises from the reality that political influence is gradually shifting away from old centres of control towards a newer generation of actors who may no longer depend entirely on traditional political gatekeepers for relevance or survival.

Societies evolve.

Political cultures evolve.

Leadership itself evolves.

No generation owns political power forever.

Ultimately, the future of Edo State cannot be built exclusively around recycled political veterans whose greatest political moments belong largely to the past. A forward-looking society must continuously create room for younger leadership, newer ideas, fresh administrative energy, and modern political thinking.

That future is already unfolding within the APC in Edo State.

History may eventually remember Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe and Governor Monday Okpebholo as central figures in the difficult but necessary political transition that began moving Edo away from recycled political dominance towards a broader and younger leadership culture capable of preparing the state for a different era.

Daniel Aroren Noah Osa-Ogbegie is a Benin based legal practitioner and public intellectual from Uhunmwode Local Government Area.

Politics

JUST IN: Omo-Agege Resigns From APC

Published

20 hours ago

May 27, 2026

Editor

Former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with immediate effect.

In a letter to the Chairman of Orogun Ward 2, Ughelli North Local Government, Delta State, dated May 22, 2026, Omo-Agege said after reviewing recent developments within the ruling party and consulting with his associates and supporters, it is clear that his political objectives and those of his constituents are better served outside the party.

“I will not remain a sitting duck in a party where I cannot advance the interests of Delta Central, Delta State and Nigeria,” he said.

On Ovie Omo-Agege’s castle-in-the-air
“I thank the APC for the opportunity to serve as Deputy President of the 9th Senate. I wish the party well and have requested that my name be removed from all membership records, registers, and communication lists,” Omo-Agege added.

Omo-Agege, in a statement by his media adviser, Sunny Areh, affirmed that his focus remains on delivering development and effective representation for Delta Central, Delta State, and Nigeria. He added that he will seek to pursue these goals outside the APC.

Details shortly…

Politics

Amaechi Rejects ‘Concocted’ ADC Presidential Primary Results

Published

2 days ago

May 26, 2026

Editor

Former Minister of Transportation and presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has rejected the outcome of the party’s presidential primary election, describing the exercise as deeply flawed and lacking credibility.

The ADC on Monday conducted a nationwide direct primary to select its candidate for the 2027 presidential election, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, former Managing Director of the defunct FSB International Bank, and Amaechi emerging as the leading contenders.

Reacting in a statement issued on Tuesday, Amaechi alleged widespread voter disenfranchisement, manipulation and serious electoral malpractice during the exercise, insisting that the results being announced were “concocted” and did not reflect the will of party members.

According to him, the primary process was compromised from the outset, with several genuine party members allegedly denied the opportunity to participate in the election across different states.

Amaechi accused some party officials of undermining the integrity of the exercise through what he described as coordinated irregularities capable of damaging the credibility of the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He maintained that the conduct of the primary fell short of the democratic standards, transparency and fairness expected in a credible internal party election.

The former Rivers State governor called on the leadership of the ADC to urgently address the alleged irregularities and protect the democratic rights of party members.

He warned that failure to uphold transparency and internal democracy could weaken public confidence in the party and its ability to present itself as a viable alternative ahead of the next general elections.

Amaechi’s rejection of the process is expected to deepen internal tensions within the ADC as opposition realignments and political calculations ahead of 2027 continue to gather momentum.