Delta 2023: Ibori’s Looming Shadows In Okowa’s Agenda

By Patrick Adamagu

TWELVE years after leaving office as Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori continues to hold sway in the politics of the state with his loyalists now positioning themselves for reckoning in the post-Ifeanyi Okowa era.

Chief Ibori had returned to the state in December 2016 after serving jail term in the United Kingdom on a ten count charge of money laundering. Even in prison, he was able to pull the levers and successfully with loyal supporters stopped his cousin and successor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan in his own political enterprise.

Regarded as the “godfather” of Delta politics, Ibori played a key role in the appointment of some of his loyalists in the cabinet of Governor Okowa including the immediate past chairman of the Delta State Oil Producing Area Development Commission, DESOPADEC, Chief Williams Makinde who was reported to have contributed immensely to supporting Ibori’s university, Western Delta University, while he was in jail.

Others are John Nani who emerged as Commissioner for Environment in 2015 and a commissioner nominee in 2019 after bowing to Ibori’s daughter, Erhiatake Ibori’s who emerged as member representing Ethiope West in the State House of Assembly contrary to the principle of rotation among the clans in the district, the current Secretary to the Delta State Government, SSG, Chiedu Ebie and the current Chief of Staff, Chief David Edevbie.

Edevbie who was appointed as Commissioner of Finance to Okowa, had served in a similar position in the Ibori administration and was also mentioned in the investigations carried out by the London Metropolitan police that led to the incarceration of the former governor.

It would be recalled that Uduaghan’s political meltdown started about three days before the PDP governorship primaries in 2014 when he mysteriously dumped his candidate, Tony Obuh for Edevbie on the claim that that was the direction to go.

However, the Ibori resolve behind Okowa and the resolve of the Delta North political elite on Okowa led him to triumph over the former governor’s strange political permutations.

It is, however, now being speculated that Edevbie’s time could be coming in 2023. That is especially given the inclination of the PDP to zone the office to Delta Central.

Edevbie was among the first three appointments made by Okowa in his second term in office.

In 2007 Ibori was believed to have persuaded Okowa to step down for Uduaghan with the promise of the 2015 ticket coming his way. Uduaghan’s 2014 moves were not able to stop the promise.

All eyes are now on Edevbie who had in the past been promoted by Ibori to work as Principal Secretary to President Umaru Yar`Adua and now been positioned in the Okowa government for the reckoning.

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