The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Okowa

  • Okowa admonishes Nigerians on peace, unity

    Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has urged Nigerians to show love to one another and be willing to make sacrifices for greater unity, peace, political stability and progress of our beloved country.

    Okowa, according to an Easter message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Charles Aniagwu in Asaba at the weekend, said “As Christians, we must reflect on the import of Easter celebrations in our dealings, not only with other Christians, but with people of other religions.” He added, “we must eschew bitterness and all forms of violence, because the progress, peace and security of the nation are anchored on good neighborliness and peaceful co-existence among Nigerians.”

  • UPU greets Okowa, Urhobo lawmakers

    The Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) has congratulated Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on his re-election.

    A statement by the President-General, Olorogun Moses Taiga, urged Okowa to use his second term to bring more developments to Urhobo land, in particular, and Delta in general.

    The union also greeted the lawmakers-elect from Delta Central, urging them to always promote Urhobo interest and work towards the development of Urhoboland.

    Read also: Comedian I Go Dye congratulates Okowa

    The statement reads: “The Urhobo Nation is expecting more development projects from the government in the next four years.

    “To those who feel their mandates were stolen, the Nigerian electoral system is not perfect and you have every right to go to court if you feel aggrieved. But every action you take should be legal. No more violence, we have lost too many people already.”

  • Comedian I Go Dye congratulates Okowa

     

    In his usual way of lending his voice to political activities in the country, notable stand-up comedian, Francis Agoda, a.k.a I Go Dye, has sent a congratulatory message to governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State for his re-election.

    “I congratulate you because it’s an overwhelming victory and your personality as a humble man, reflected in Dr. Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa, not as the executive Governor of Delta state that won you a second chance to be re-elected,” he said, while appealing to oppositions, including Great Ogboru, Emmanuel Uduaghan, Senator Omo Agege and the entire people of Delta State to embrace peace and work together for the development of the state.

    “At this point, I kindly call on all Deltans, most especially the political class to embrace one another. This should be a moment to build our state and bring about even development in all sectors, irrespective of party affiliations. We should nurture a common goal of unity and develop the state. I appeal to Great Ogboru, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, Omo Agege and all political class in Delta State to work with Okowa to develop the state.”

    He has a word, especially for Omo Agege:

    “I also use this medium to congratulate Sen. Omo Agege, who shall be representing us for the second time, to work effortlessly to drive the course of opening all our sea ports to create jobs for our youths. If in his favor God grants him the honour of becoming the next Senate President, he should work in the path of nobility and accord a friendly disposition to the governor of Delta State. The level of development which is desired in Delta State honestly requires the collective responsibility and support of every one. We cannot achieve the goal of development without cooperation of oneness and above partisan affiliations. Let’s forge on a new path of sacrifice and lasting peace, with just one goal as brothers and sisters. Once more congratulations to you all”, he said..

  • Okowa: Polobubo leaders urge calm

    Leaders of the oil-rich Polobubo (Tsekelewu) community in Warri North council of Delta State have appealed to youths to remain calm and avoid plunging their home into crisis.

    The call followed a near-break down of peace and order in the community in reaction to the refusal of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to inaugurate some projects executed by the Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC) in the community.

    Okowa was to inaugurate projects  in Polobubo and neighbouring Itsekiri community, Ogheye. But after performing the ceremony in Ogheye, Okowa aborted the visit and assigned the senator representing Delta South, James Manager, to represent him.

    When news got to the indigenes the governor was no longer coming, everyone left the Tsekelewu Secondary School venue in  anger.

    At the virtually deserted venue of the event, Manager tried in vain to persuade the angry youths to allow the inauguration to go on as scheduled. He left the community, with the people angry at what they described as a slight against them by the governor.

    Speaking to repoters, National President of Polobubo (Tsekelewu) National Council, Mr. Ebilate Mac-Yoroki, appealed to the people to remain calm.

    Mac-Yoroki, who said none of the leaders of the community was happy the governor could not come in person, explained they learnt the governor’s decision was informed by some unforseen circumstances.

  • Urhobo youths endorse Okowa for second term

    Urhobo youths under the aegis of the Delta Central Equity Group (DCEG) have agreed to ensure a violence-free election.

    The youths, who cut across political parties and other organisations, also endorsed Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for a second term in office on the grounds of “equity”.

    In a meeting attended by Okowa and a former Delta governor Chief James Ibori on Wednesday in Ughelli town, Ughelli North council area of Delta state, the group’s Convener, Morris Idiovwa, stressed that it stands to ensure that no young man loses his life because of the general polls.

    According to Idiovwa, the group’s endorsement of the governor does not extend to his party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    “The youths in Delta Central have agreed to come together and say, no more violence in our elections. The youths in Delta Central have agreed that irrespective of party differences, no office is worth the blood of another man.

    “We have decided to come together for a common interest and our primary responsibility is to ensure that our young men are not killed during the elections, as we are standing to reject electoral violence.

    “We must be able to defend our future by conducting free, fair and credible elections. We are not endorsing PDP but Okowa as an individual.

    “The Delta Central Equity Group made of different youth bodies, irrespective of party affiliation across the local government have agreed that Okowa should continue as the governor of Delta state in 2019 for the sake of equity.”

    On reports opposition is plotting to make the March 2 elections inconclusive, he emphasised “no matter the provocation, no youth will kill another youth for someone to enter office”.

    Okowa promised to do more for the youths of Delta Central if re-elected.

    Assuring the group has “not made a wrong choice” in him, he said: “We will not disappoint you and in our second tenure, we shall increase whatever thing we have been doing for the youths.”

    Expressing optimism that victory is sure, he appreciated the youths for the gesture and urged them to vote “but not allow anybody to come and cheat us, scatter our votes because we need peace”.

    Ibori assured that Deltans will vote peacefully, using their permanent voters’ cards (PVCs).

    Chief Ibori, while commending the DCEG for the show of solidarity in endorsing the governor, stated in no distant time, it will be the turn of the Urhobos to produce governor.

    He said: “We will not be provoked, induced and intimidated but we will vote peacefully and use our PVCs to speak for us. And as you rightly said, the next governor is the Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa”.

  • “Deltans want Okowa because he has performed well”

    Chief Favour Izoukumor is the commissioner representing Ijaw ethnic nationality on the board of Delta Oil Producing Areas Development Commission, and he doubles as the Coordinator of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa re-election campaign committee in Warri Southwest local government area of Delta state. In this interview S’South Regional Editor, Shola O’neil, he speaks on the factors that would determine the governorship contest in the state and why PDP candidates would easily defeat their APC counterparts. Excerpts:

    THE governorship election is barely three weeks away; how do you rate your candidate’s chance?

    Governor Ifeanyi Okowa certainly has performed beyond expectations, considering the situation he met on May 29, 2015. He has done a lot in terms of infrastructure, construction of roads that cuts across all 25 local government areas of Delta state. He has also done well in human capital development, in entrepreneurship and training of youths. He has worked magic in the agriculture sector, and this is helped by the fact his road constructions were not limited to urban areas, it was extended to the riverine communities and these have resulted in all round development of the state.

    APC is fielding a formidable and popular candidate in Chief Great Ogboru, and is expected to give the ruling PDP a fight; do you think Okowa stand a chance?

    No one is undermining the popularity of Great Ogboru, the APC flag bearer, but you would agree with me that in democracy the electorates, with whom the power lies, determine victory. The people of Delta have spoken that the incumbent governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has done very well and they will reelect him – it is very clear.

    Besides, Delta state has a power sharing agreement, howbeit unwritten. Delta Central, from where Great Ogboru hails, has enjoyed power for eight years through Chief James Ibori. Delta South has also enjoyed it through Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and it is only just and right for the Delta North to have their full term.

    This arrangement is on moral grounds and it is working positively for the sitting governor. Ogboru is from Delta central and all Deltans feel that since the other two senatorial districts have enjoyed this arrangement, it is germane for the Delta North to have the same feel, particularly with a man who has done very well. Let’s not forget that this arrangement has brought understanding between the three senatorial districts, and all these are working positively for PDP. It is not good to break a working arrangement just because some people are desperate for power.

    Secondly, you can only win election with a political structure and PDP is very much on ground – from the state to the LGAs to the wards to every unit in the state.  I wonder how the APC can fly without viable platform and base. They also have to deal with the fact that APC at the center has woefully failed Nigerians. Buhari is the face of the APC and with his glaring failures; even APC’s stalwarts are canvasing a need to “change the change”.

    There are a lot of APC members working with us; we don’t want to expose them, because in politics you must have your ace, you joker. Our (PDP) presidential candidate and the Senate President came from APC, they realized that the party of strange bedfellows has failed Nigerians, and the only party that can make Nigeria work again is the PDP and they defected to make it work through the PDP. You will agree with me that with all these analysis there is no way APC would not fail, not only in Delta state but also in other parts of the Niger Delta.

    PDP members are also leaving for APC, and in your state, your district, the past governor, Dr. Uduaghan is now with APC and he is seen as a game changer…

    (cuts in)… Uduaghan, was a respected leader of the PDP, but unfortunately he has left and we cannot undermine his influence and all that, but as far as PDP is concerned, his departure means little to nothing. The weight of his departure was not felt because even his much-touted claim that thousands of his followers would follow him to the APC did not materialize. This is because everyone agrees that the Okowa administration is performing very well. Uduaghan is a past governor and he is backing the opposition APC, that is sad and although it’s a challenge, we will not dwell on that.

    Some people feel that the PDP in Delta state have mostly used their influence at the centre to win past election and now they will face the federal might of the APC?

    We have always heard of federal might, but democracy is not about war and the Niger Delta is not fighting either. We expect the election to be conducted by INEC and APC-led government to be free and fair. It is not a war, so I don’t see why the federal government led by the APC will deploy their federal might to intimidate us.

    If the federal government tries their ‘might’ they will fail because it is democracy and the people are in the position to make the decisions on who rules.

    I believe that by the position of the electorates in Delta state, the ‘federal might’ will not come to play and even if it will, the people will resist it in a civil manner, they will vote against it. We have a lot of strategies in place for the purposes of this election and I may not like to divulge the choice information at this critical time. But I think the people have spoken in all the campaigns and the beauty of democracy is that the people know their choice and with all the feedbacks in our disposal, PDP will win convincingly at all levels.

    Before the election, the governor was accused of focusing only on his Ika area to the detriment of other parts of the state….

    (cuts in) These are mere allegations that are unjustifiable. The developments cut across all three senatorial districts, and in all 25 local government areas of the state, you will see the developmental strides of the governor. The Ijaw ethnic nationality and the people Delta south are strongly behind the governor and our amiable deputy governor, Dcn Kingsley Otuaro, who has done very well as the Number 2 citizen, we are extremely proud of the team and we will support them all through.

    So whoever is peddling all this in this session, of course this is a political period and a lot of propagandas will arise, are doing it for all reasons but the truth. It is totally false.

    Is it not true that the government left major roads in Warri, Effurun abandoned until the elections season; isn’t this a political gimmicks to score for votes in these areas?

    Again, I don’t think there is a political gimmick in this issue. Of course resources is the strength of every government. You will recall that when this government came into power, it was faced with economic recession, in the whole of the federation, which partly affected the resources and the economy. You will remember that the Niger Delta states were struck with and the Forcados trunk line destruction, and this took about a year to be repaired. The daily production on that line was over 400,000 and that period of almost a year, Delta state was receiving almost zero percent allocation on the 13percent oil revenue.

    For individuals, corporate or government, you must take a reasonable time to save, and I believe that he has been saving and that is why this period there is enough cost.

    This terrain of parts of the state is riverine and you can only do most of the construction works in the dry season. It is unreasonable to say that because the governor was waiting for the best time to construct road it is political. And moreover, you will recall that late 2017 and 2018, the governor commissioned some completed projects in Warri, Delta south senatorial and some of the riverine areas.

    DESOPADEC has been in existence for about 12 years now, what has it achieved?

    The former boards tried their best, especially at the time when the current deputy governor was a commissioner; a lot of projects were witnessed at the oil producing areas. So, I will say that they did their best, and that is the essence of continuity of government. When Okowa took over, he consolidated on the achievements of the past government and he has made giant strides. Before now, the oil producing areas, especially the riverine communities, which is predominantly dominated by Ijaws and Itsekiris, didn’t get centralized projects from the past regimes.

    The Okowa government focused on centralized projects and he not just allocated, but awarded contracts in the oil producing communities and also those projects were completed and commissioned. There were up to 47 or 49 projects awarded, and as we are talking more than 80% of those projects have been completed and 60 to 70% are commissioned.  All these were achieved despite the economic challenges and militants’ destructions of oil facilities and attendant paucity of funds that the government inherited.  So, I believe that the governor has done very well in terms of capital development in the oil producing communities.

    Another aspect that he has done well is among the ethnic nationality and security management to ensure safe and secured environment for businesses to thrive. He has been empowering youths from oil producing communities to reduce restiveness, pipeline vandalism and also to retrain them to see that they become watchmen to the facilities in order to reduce oil facilities destruction. There are stipends that even past government were paying, but this government did it in a way that it got across to the grassroots. As a commissioner representing the Ijaw people, I can tell you that Okowa has done a lot for the oil producing communities, including in road construction.

    What are the achievements of DESOPADEC that you can bank on to campaign for his reelection?

    In our (Ijaw) area, there is a concrete foot bridge of over 800m was constructed with extensions and access roads and has been completed at Egbema. In Gbaramatu, there is a multimillion-naira housing project completed and delivered, and the sand-filling of Ijansa community of Warri SW LGA  it is a star project – constructed completed and commissioned as well. There is a brand new slipway project that is very dear to the entire Ogbe-Ijoh kingdom. This project includes construction of access road, and it has been completed and waiting commissioning by His Excellency, Governor Okowa.

    Similar projects are either completed or near completion in other parts of the state, including Isoko, where an ultra-modern town hall was built and fully equipped. In Itsekiri areas, roads are constructed and commissioned, along with dozens of other projects. Also in Oghara and the Urhobo axis, lots of roads networks are constructed. I also know that there is skill acquisition training for youths, and empowerments that go with the trainings all in the aspect of entrepreneurial skill acquisition initiated by the present administration. There are so much more and the state has never seen this wide spread of projects to all nooks and crannies.

    There was an allegation that the governor was withholding statutory funds from the commission…

    (cuts in) No, no, no, this it is not true at all. Am aware that every month and even in some cases before the end of the month depending on when funds are released by FAAC, the commission gets its funded, and on monthly basis too. I can’t remember any month for any reason that there was no allocation released. How was it possible for us to achieve these mega projects in this short period of time, if funds are not released? All our star projects that were completed and commissioned are fully paid for. Even in ethnic nationalities’ project, people wonder how the contractor completed jobs within the stipulated time having considered the difficulty of our terrain. They were motivated by the 25percent mobilization fund that the governor approved for them.

    If this is true, why are contractors are murmuring about the huge debts they are owed?

    I said that the star projects and centralized projects and those ones that take big chunk of money have been paid for, and I stand by it. The ethnic nationality contractors also told me that the present government has done very well in terms of mobilization. It is the mobilization that motivated them, and kudos needs to be given to them because they were hardworking and had a lot of integrity. Some of them have gone beyond the expected project stage because of that motivation and that is why you hear complaints about debt. It merely means that contractors, in anticipation of payments, executed projects beyond budgetary provisions because they trust us.

    I know that there are some projects of the ethnic nationalities that have not been fully paid and the government is defraying the outstanding bills on monthly basis. And you have to understand too that the issue of payment is not only in Delta state but a universal thing; payment is made when there is fund. Judging from the funds that came into this commission and what was achieved with it, the government has done very well.

    The reason why some of them are not fully paid is that when we came for over a year, we were paying debts that we inherited and that is the essence of continuity of government. This also emboldened contractors that they would all be paid at the right time. So even though 100% fund have not being paid to the ethnic nationality, a reasonable amounts have been paid and I am optimistic that before May 29, most of the balances of the contracts will be paid.

  • Okowa, Ogboru, absent from BBC-pidgin Delta gov debate

    Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta, the PDP candidate for March 2 governorship election and Chief Great Ogboru, his APC counterpart, were absent at the BBC Pidgin-organised debate in Asaba on Thursday.

    Also absent was Mr John Akwara, of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the debate billed to feature candidates of six political parties selected from about 50 registered governorship candidates in the state.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the candidates who participated were Frank Esanubi of the African Action Congress (AAC), Odiakpo Obire of Progressive Peoples Alliance (PPA) and Brando Omu of All Grand Alliance Party (AGAP).

    Each of the candidates took turn to proffer solutions to problems bothering on security, economy, education, restructuring, sports and jobs creation, among others in the state, urging the electorate to vote them in.

    They accused the current and past administrations of poor performance and promised to speedy up development in the various sectors to bring succor to the people, if elected.

    They pledged to diversify the economy of the state through investment in agriculture and other mineral resources and create jobs.

    Each of them also pledged to invest in sports to create jobs and properly engage the youths as well as address issues bothering on the physically challenged and other disadvantaged groups in the state .

    Esanubi specifically pledged to create 20,000 jobs annually by releasing N1 million to each graduate of the state origin, adding that the party would budget N20 billion annually for that purpose.

    He also pledges to revamp the educational system by introducing skills acquisition into the curricula of the state’s tertiary institutions to enable the graduates acquire skills outside their disciplines.

    On his part, Obire promised to build industries and create opportunities for small scale businesses to thrive in the state as well as create jobs for the teaming unemployed youths.

    He pledged to give loans and other financial support to those willing and capable to run their own businesses in the state.

    Omu pledged to attract one industry to every local government area in the state to engage the youths and also to set up micro-finance companies to support the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs).

  • Okowa: why Trans-Warri/Ode-Itsekiri roads, bridges were uncompleted

    Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa yesterday explained why the multi-billion naira Trans Warri Ode Itsekiri roads, and bridges in Warri South have not be completed.

    He accused former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan of owing the contractors, Setraco Nigeria, N8.8 billion.

    Okowa, who spoke at the Warri township stadium during the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rally, added that the project was stopped by the contractor because the previous administration did not pay the debt.

    He said his administration paid N3.5 billion of the money owed, noting that work would soon commence.

    The Trans Warri-Ode-Itsekiri road project was awarded to Setraco in 2006 by former Governor James Ibori and continued by Uduaghan.

    The road, which connects several communities in Warri South and other councils, has 19 bridges with 10 completed by the Ibori and Uduaghan administrations. Sixteen billion naira was paid by the previous administrations.

    Okowa said: “In 2015 when we were campaigning, I promise the people of Warri South that we are going to do the Ubeji road. We also told them we are going to complete the Trans Warri-Ode Itsekiri road.

    “That project was abandoned by the contractor because the previous administration was owing N8.8 billion. But today we have paid N3.5 billion to the contractor and work will commence soon.”

    Okowa thanked the people for their support, urging them to vote for him again to consolidate on his achievements.

    He said his administration had commissioned consultants to look at how flooding in the area could be resolved, stressing that before the end of his  second term, flooding in Warri would be a thing of the past.

    “We have commissioned contractors to build big drainages that will solve the issue of drainage in Warri. Preliminary work has been done and the flood places have been identified.

    “Before the end of my second tenure I will finish all projects I have embarked on. I don’t want to embark on projects I cannot finish. This is the reason I hardly talk. When I talk I make sure that I do what I said.

    “I want to plead with you to vote for PDP candidates from the national to state level. This will make my election to be easy because God is with us,” Okowa said.

  • Okowa overrates himself on 2019 polls

    THE sweet-mouthed Governor of Delta State, Sen. Ifeyinwa Okowa, on Monday assured the nation that all the governors of the Peoples Democratic Party( PDP) were behind the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

    He was so emphatic that it was assumed he is an insider into the workings of the party.

    But in the light of certain events, he is said to have overrated himself from  being a returning officer at the last national convention of the PDP to emerge as governors’ spokesman.

    Barely a few days after Okowa’s braggadocio, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State flooded the market with a branded rice tagged “Ebonyi Rice World.”

    The bags of rice have the photographs of President Muhammadu Buhari and First Lady Aisha Buhari with the pictures of the governor and his wife. Okowa certainly needs to get a free bag of the rice for Christmas and the New Year celebrations. But for Gov Umahi, action speaks louder than words.

  • Okowa, Ogboru: Who wins Delta governorship poll?

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are warming up for next year’s governorship election in Delta State. Cogent Owhe examines the factors that will shape the exercise.

    Although many political parties are fielding candidates for the governorship election in Delta State, the contest is a two- horse race between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC). I shall therefore limit myself to highlighting the electoral fortunes of Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru of APC and Dr Ifeanyi Okowa of PDP in the forthcoming election.

    Unarguably, voters in the state can be categorised into two baskets of apostles of competence/performance or zoning/ethnic sentiments proponents.

    In my evaluation and prognosis, I shall be confining myself to trending issues , opinions gathered from preliminary survey and intereactions with Deltans across the three senatorial districts.

    All over the state, the verdict of failure passed on the performance of Okowa in the past three years plus is bi-tribal. From civil servants who are being owed salaries  for at least eight months and more,  whose pains are multiplied by the brazen denial and misleading media information to the contrary, churned out by the governor,  through jobless youths who the state governor does not have a palliative package for,  to other residents denied basic services of pedestrian infrastructures such  as good roads, hospitals etc. The song and refrain is that Dr. Okowa is a  burden to the state.

    The popular sentiment among Deltans is that his abysmal failure is not a function of revenue streaming into the state since he assumed office, but incompetence.

    Respondents are quick to cite amazing achievements of governors of Kebbi, Cross River and Anambra states who get les revenue than Delta State. Regrettably, Dr Okowa does not have any record of managerial success, prior to his public service that can inspire confidence in voters to risk returning him to  govern the state in 2019.

    However, Okowa, undeniably a medical  doctor,  a profession which nitwits dare not aspire to,  appears to be performing below what is expected of gifted people which medical doctors supposedly.

    In sharp distinction, Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru, the partriach of the once famous Fiograte conglomerate who provided empoyment for Bendelites and Nigerians at large, when his group of companies were cynosures of the Nigeria economy before they were shut down by a reactionary government, is viewed by many as a better manager of resources and therefore possesses the qualities to transform the fortune of the state.  That assertion is supported by the fact of Ogboru’s uncommon transformation from a common employee to an employer of labour and billionaire within a short period as a result of good judgement, a quality Deltans expect from the next governor.

    In terms of academic credentials, Ogboru is a holder of two masters degrees in management sciences which are very relevant in the management of theeconomy than the medical credentials of Dr. Okowa, which can be put into use in other speres of service.

    Deltans will vote for a man whom they know to be selfless and can initiate a boom turning vision for the state. Great Ovedje Ogboru fits this bill based on his antecedent in building his vast buisness from the scratch. In him, Deltans will put their faith and trust and expect to reap bountifully from the wise decision.

    On the zoning scale, Dr Okowa appears to enjoy some support.There are many people from Anioma, Urhobo, Itsekiris, Ijaws and Isoko who have imbibed the philosophy of zoning and are prepared to cast their votes along the line of zoning.

    For this group of persons, good governance of the state is secondary, as long as their zoning sentiments are ingratiated with little handouts from the governor.

    Yet there are still some people who believe in zoning but who strongly  feel that there should be a balance between good governance and  adherence to zoning. As it stand, a higher percentage of those in this  sub-bracket will go for a candidate with vision that can impact their lives positively.

    No doubt, in this clear contest between Ogboru and Okowa, they will vote for Ogboru. They are applying the anxiom that a good neighbour is better than a bad brother, which is evidently correct.

    Strangely, there are also some good number of people who are religious believers of zoning but are scared of Okowa’s return as governor on account of certain hegemonistic tendencies displayed by Okowa that could jeopardise their traditional values and institutions. Such sentiments are coming from Okowa’s backyard in Ika nation and neighbouring kingdoms.

    Ogboru can wager on the votes of people with this mindset. They are even prepared to assist beyond casting votes to include spending money and much more to send Okowa packing.

    There are yet another group within the zoning fans, who believe that Ogboru deserves their votes as an Anioma son. These voters are mainly from Ndokwa nation who rightly feel that Ogboru being maternally from their enclave, deserve their votes  moreso for his outstanding   competence. They buttress this with the fact that it was Okowa and his kinsmen who voted for Chief  Ibru against Professor Eric Opia from Ndokwa in the first governorship election held after the creation of Delta State.

    In the Central where Ogboru is  from paternally, the predominant sentiment is that zoning is a conspiracy against the  people of Urhobo extraction. Their argument is that, whilst in Midwest and Bendel state , inspite of the unsuccessful shots they took at the governorship office, they never sought to compromise standard by calling for zoning.

    Voters in this mindset want to cast their votes for  Ogboru for reasons of competence and not ethnic affinity. This sentiment is also prevalent in Itsekiri nation  because of the unexpected support Urhobos once  gave to their kinsman, Chief Festus Okotie Eboh, in the height of the rivalry between itsekiri and Urhobo.Thus, their assessment of the  rivalry and suspicion between the two neighbours is no longer necessary as marriage ties has created too many bi-ethnic nationalities of these once distinct peoples whose sensibilities must be respected moving forward..

    Acccordingly, they reasoned that they stand to gain more from a competent neighbour than Okowa who is filled with vengeance against their son, Dr. Uduaghan. It is not different in Ijaw, Isoko , Oshimili and  Aniocha who accuse Okowa of nepotic tendencies. They would rather have a man with vision to pilot the affairs of the state than allow a failed Okowa continue with governance of the state.

    Inexorably, the evaluation of the sentiments for and against Okowa in the light of the sterling record of Ogboru in the private sector is tilting victory in the 2019 election in favour of Ogboru.

    Against the clarion call that public officers should be transparent with official activities, a  reaction to the repulsive revelations of corrupt practices of previous governments, Okowa has even  become more opaque with funds coming to the state coffer from internal sources of income . This lack of transparency, viewed seriously by Deltans will hurt Dr Okowa hard in the 2019 election.

    Ogboru promises to end this despicable conduct by injecting transparency as an integral tendency of his government come 2019.

    One way he will show this is regular briefing of Deltans on the status of our revenue earnings, an item in his mission statement. And it is a promise that is resonating with Deltans having regard to the incorruptibility posture of Ogboru in the past 18 years he assumed leading opposition to enthrone an accountable government.

    Ogboru is one of  the very few individuals in the entire country who successfully resisted the irrestible  tempting offers which many others fell for in Delta and beyond. Courage and determination,which are admirable virtues displayed by Ogboru all these years are now being characterised by opponents without selling points as desperation on the part of Ogboru.

    Of course, if it could be proven that Ogboru is seeking the office more for self than service, then such negative characterisation could stick.

    But the evidence available is that after the last election, Ogboru vowed not to be in the ballot again for the governorship of the state, but sustained pressure from associates  couple with compassion for Deltans held hostage by a class of insensitive “leader predators” caused a change of mind. This completely dispels the negative construct of desperation against Ogboru.

    Okowa and his collaborators who could not build enduring infrastructures or create jobs from economic activies taking advantage of our comparative competitiveness in the season of abundance should not be expected to manage drought to the relief of Deltans.

    A governor who could not create jobs for genuine job seekers, but his mindlessly appointing thousands of political appointees drawing stupendous amounts from our public coffer without providing a corresponding economic or social service is a damned jester.

    Another four years for Okowa is invitation for sorrow and irredeemable decay.