Few weeks ago, I got a report that Chief James Ibori, a former Governor of
\nDelta state, has politically endorsed Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta
\nState for a second tenure in office and I just wondered if canvassing
\nsupport for Okowa in a public function was enough to say he has endorsed
\nhim for a second term!
\nEven if he endorses him so early at a time like this when the goodwill
\nbeing enjoyed by Governor Okowa appears to be waning, does that signify a
\nsecond term ticket?
\nThough reports had it that Ibori while in jail in the UK serving his
\nsentence over corruption and money laundering charges made Governors,
\nSenate President, Speaker, Senators, House of Assembly members etc, but,
\nhow weighty could his endorsement be in today\u2019s politics.
\nPolitically, endorsement does not win elections and if you doubt this go
\nand ask former President Goodluck Jonathan. He is a living testimony.
\nWhat Ibori has done is just a show of comradeship, nothing more, and
\nnothing less. If Dr. Okowa wants to retain his seat in Government House,
\nhe should do more, and work harder because he may not get it as easy as
\nwhen he rode on Ibori\u2019s back in 2015.
\nWhilst Ibori\u2019s reported endorsement of Okowa is already heating up the
\nDelta political landscape and causing jittery among some contending
\npolitical forces, the question bogging many pundits is, can Ibori`s
\nendorsement actually influence election victory this time around?
\nIbori, politically, is standing on one foot as to whether he may remain in
\nhis now crisis-torn People\u2019s Democratic Party, PDP \u2013 this is something
\nstill kept in the cooler. Political watchers, including this writer
\nbelieve that if Ibori decides to remain in PDP, he may not be in the same
\nfaction with former President Goodluck Jonathan, who is the leader of the
\nparty.
\nThe reason being adduced, according to Chima Ubochi in his article is
\nthat, Ibori tormented Goodluck Jonathan, when he (Jonathan) was the vice
\npresident, and was the reason why late President Umaru Yar\u2019Adua reduced
\nthe office of the vice president to a ministerial level and never cared to
\nhand over to Jonathan, as VP, whenever he travelled out of Nigeria.
\nThe commentator believes that if Yar\u2019Adua was alive today, Ibori would not
\nhave been jailed or made to forfeit any asset whatsoever. Besides, Ibori
\nwould have replaced Goodluck Jonathan, during Yar\u2019Adua\u2019s second term, and
\nthereafter, would have taken over from Yar\u2019Adua, after the latter\u2019s second
\nterm.
\nThat was the plan and arrangement from the beginning; that was why Ibori
\nbankrolled Yar\u2019Adua\u2019s campaign in 2007, and that was why EFCC, under Nuhu
\nRibadu, was unable to bring Ibori to justice, despite the alleged
\nunspeakable financial crimes of which he was later jailed, Ubochi
\npostulated.
\nThe saga created bad blood between Jonathan and Ibori, and when Jonathan
\neventually became the President, Ibori\u2019s files were vetted by internal and
\nexternal security forces and he (Jonathan), reportedly signed his
\nextradition to the United Kingdom when he finally mounted the saddle as
\nPresident and Commander In Chief of the Armed Force of Federal Republic of
\nNigeria.
\nThe animosity which the scenario generated between the duo has not been
\nreconciled.
\nWhether the ongoing reconciliation in the PDP championed by the National
\nReconciliation Committee led by Hon Sariake Dickson, Governor of Bayelsa
\nstate, trying to reconcile aggrieved members on the side of the
\ncourt-certified National Chairman of the party, Senator Sheriff Modu and
\ncare-taker committee Chairman, Senator Admed Makarfi, which met with Ibori
\nrecently in his country home Oghara, Ethiope West Council may save the
\nsituation is yet unclear.
\nComing back home, one wonders, going by this development, under what party
\nshould we hinge the Ibori-endorsement of Governor Okowa when apparently,
\ninsinuations are rife that he may possibly defect to another political
\nparty.
\nAs some political analysts believe, Ibori\u2019s endorsement carry a lot of
\nweight evident by the hullabaloo it has generated, but viewed against the
\nbackdrop of the current internal friction in the party, it may not hold
\nmuch waters, at least for now.
\nMoreso, the supposed endorsement has triggered public backlash, apparently
\nbecause it was hinged on the premises that backing Okowa for a second term
\nin office is in anticipation that the Delta North Senatorial District
\nwould throw its support behind an Urhobo candidate when the time comes, as
\nthough there are no other political parties and ethnic group who would
\nwant to wrestle power come 2019.
\nGovernor Okowa is constantly criticised for being \u2018clannish\u2019 \u2013 like he
\nwore ethnic toga to Government House, and accused of insensitivity to
\nworker\u2019s plight, especially his failure to clear the arrears of salaries
\nof primary and secondary school teachers, local councils\u2019 workers as well
\nas cornering jobs to himself and cronies. These, among other factors are
\ncompounding Okowa\u2019s administration and his chances in future elections.
\nOkowa is expected to do his two tenure unchallenged going by the
\ngentlemanly PDP zoning agreement as both Delta Central and South had
\nsuccessfully taken their turns in Ibori and Uduaghan respectively.
\nBut unfortunately his \u201cprosperity for all\u201d 2015 election\u2019s mantra excused
\non dwindling federal allocation and poor Internal Generated Revenue, IGR,
\naccruing to the state, is nothing to write home about, even though some
\nnon-oil bearing states are faring better in their economic agenda, a clear
\nexamples being Kebbi state and oil producing Cross River State.
\nIf what is happening in PDP at the National level permeates to the states,
\nas it is already, with seemingly report of police notification to take
\nover the state PDP Secretariat in Asaba by the Sheriff\u2019s faction, then
\nthat endorsement under this PDP may not be it.
\nIt is a common practice in Nigeria for politicians to make statements
\nduring political events as was made by Ibori, canvassing support for
\nGovernor Okowa to enable him retain his seat but that shouldn\u2019t have
\ntroubled some gladiators the way it did, yet it has ruffled feathers in
\nsome quarters.
\nFor some political pundits, Ibori remains a rallying point since he
\ncreated the first political dynasty in Delta and since 1999 has been the
\none calling the shot; and had singlehandedly, not like casting all the
\nvotes anyway, installed his successor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan and incumbent
\nGovernor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa.
\nHis endorsement if in the right party can actually sway votes \u2013 he is that
\npowerful. But given the fact that the corruption allegations of which he
\nwas convicted has reduced his estimation, his endorsement this time around
\nmay make little or no effect on the polls come 2019.
\nFor Olorogun O\u2019tega Emerhor, who contested the 2015 governorship elections
\nwith Okowa under the All Progressives Congress and lost out, Ibori\u2019s
\nendorsement of Okowa has closed the door to Ibori\u2019s possibly defection to
\nAPC as was insinuated when he first arrived Nigeria from the UK.
\nReports quoted Emerhor to have said that Ibori\u2019s endorsement of Okowa has
\ndiffused speculations that the former governor had sympathy for the APC.
\nAccording to him, \u201cWe in APC Delta State have anticipated this endorsement
\nlong ago and are quite prepared to meet him, Okowa and the PDP at the 2019
\nelections to finally determine which party now owns the state\u2019s political
\nlandscape\u201d.
\nBut those who have watched politics in Delta State know anything can
\nhappen when the chips are down. The dynamics of Delta politics can be
\nunpredictable sometimes just like it happened during the PDP\u2019s primary
\nelection; but with what the party has done so far, Okowa still has a very
\nlong way to go to retain that exalted seat in the Unity House, Asaba.
\nWritten by Joe Ogbodu
\nJoe Ogbodu,<\/p>\n
PUBLISHER\/CEO<\/p>\n
Pen Times Communications Synergy,<\/p>\n
Publishers of BigPen Online.<\/p>\n
www.bigpenngr.com<\/p>\n
joeogbodu@bigpenngr.com<\/p>\n
+2348038183450<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Few weeks ago, I got a report that Chief James Ibori, a former Governor of Delta state, has politically endorsed Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State for a second tenure…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":52092,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56948","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions"],"yoast_head":"\n