By EJIROGHENE BARRETT, Asaba –
The Delta State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primaries held in Asaba on Wednesday resulted in a major upset as the Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, emerged as the party’s choice for the top job, defeating former Commissioner for finance, Chief David Edevbie, considered to be the favourite before the race.
Oborevwori polled 597 out of 825 votes to beat Edevbie, who was also the anointed candidate of former governor James Ibori who got 113 votes to clinch the second position.
By this outcome, Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa seems to have completely seized the structures of the party from his former boss, Chief Ibori. Earlier reports had alleged that both men were at loggerheads over the choice of the preferred candidate for the governorship race.
As it stands, Oborevwori would likely face the Deputy Senate President, Chief Ovie Omo-Agege, who is almost certain to emerge as the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate. By all calculations, the PDP would have to dig deep into its bag of tricks to pull a victory here, as Omo-Agege clearly has greater political capital than Oborevwori. Omo-Agege clearly has the upper-hand on popularity, state-wide political network, experience and numbers.
The permutations favour Omo-Agege for several reasons. Some observers note that his political leverage includes years of experience in public office, knowledge of the workings of the PDP as a result of his years as a member of the party, his position as current deputy senate president and the support he has garnered through the privileges that the office has provided in bringing several key projects to the state.
Observers predict that Omo-Agege’s practical experience both in the Executive and Legislative arms of government, having served as Secretary to the Delta state government, and as a senator, and now as Deputy Senate President, may give him the advantage.
As politics in Delta state goes, Oborevwori has been mostly active at the ward level and had, until 2015, never been considered as a figure of repute in Delta politics. Even with his rise to the position of Speaker, many believe he is still playing above his league, and this must be among the reasons why Ibori did not support his candidacy.
In a telephone conversation, one of the delegates spoke of the disappointment of many who had not expected the final outcome, although several party members had voiced concerns weeks before the primaries about an alleged directive from Okowa to all party members across the twenty five local government areas in the state to ensure Oborevwori’s victory at the primaries.
Obviously upset by the results, the delegate expressed serious worries about the possibility of the PDP retaining its hold on the state with Oborevwori as its candidate, pointing out that the task before them “is a huge one”.
This assessment is not wrong, putting up a solid political strike force against someone of Omo-Agege’s stature would have required a candidate who would match him in experience, popularity, and expertise in political strategy. According to several assessments, Oborewvori doesn’t really fit the bill.
The most formidable force for Oborevwori would be a United PDP, with all its stalwarts joining hands to fight the political arsenal that Omo-Agege would certainly muster, but that seems off the cards with the split that this outcome would cause in the PDP. The prevailing opinion is that Ibori would not take this defeat lightly and may join forces with the opposition to scuttle Okowa’s designs.
Even if Oborevwori gets the support of a cohesive PDP, it still would not guarantee his victory. Those who know say his political history in the state reads more like a case file of controversies. There have been a number of allegations linking him to political thuggery.
There are also allegations that he is one of the key actors in several violent incidences during past election campaigns within his constituency, Uvwie, that has given the area a reputation for violence. Several political watchers believe that his emergence as governor would seriously compromise the democratic process in his constituency and may put many lives at risk.
While none of these allegations have been proven, there have been calls for caution in the consideration of who eventually emerges as the state governor.
Some opinions suggest it may not be all bad news for the PDP. By some calculations, if Omo-Agege wins in Delta Central, there is the possibility that Oborevwori would easily bag Delta North because of Okowa’s support. Delta South would become the swing zone and either of both candidates could take it.
Oborevwori would also be popular among many local leaders who would feel connected with his similar position as a local community leader in his constituency. What is obvious is that Oborevwori would need to hit the ground running as he has a lot of distance to cover if his impact is to be felt.
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