Delta 2023: Ibori’s Man Triumphs As Okowa’s ‘Men’ Lose In DC-23 Final List

Two 2023 governorship aspirants in Delta State allegedly favoured by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa for the People’s Democratic Party, PDP ticket have been screened out by the Urhobo lobby group, Delta Central 2023 (DC-23) as it produced its final three-man list.

However, the aspirant widely reported to be favoured by former Governor James Ibori, David Edevbie, made the three-man list.

The shortlisting was made by the lobby group, Delta Central 2023 (DC-23) which has been canvassing for the next governor of the state to come from the region.

The two aspirants who were screened out by the group are a former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Senator Emmanuel Aguariavwodo and the immediate past commissioner for works, Engr. James Augoye.

They were among the five governorship aspirants Governor Okowa is rumoured to have penciled down as his likely successor in the 2023 governorship election, Niger Delta Today reported.

Aguariavwodo and Augoye were dropped from the five-man list which the DC-23 Prunning/Screening Committee had earlier submitted to the Senator Ighoyota Amori-led Delta Central group.

According to the committee’s final report, DC-23 picked Olorogun David Edevbie, Chief Kenneth Gbagi and Rt. Hon. Chief Sheriff Oborevwori as its final list of governorship aspirants for the PDP ticket.

The prunning committee headed by Prof. Nyerhovwo Tonukari had on December 13th submitted its first report with Senator Aguariavwodo, Augoye, Edevbie, Gbagi and Oborevwori making the list.

The committee was further directed to prune down the number of aspirants to three in line with its terms of reference by considering the aspirants’ acceptability across the state, accessibility, integrity/credibility, capability, development strategy and Pan-Delta disposition.

Reading the committee’s report on Sunday, Secretary of the committee, Prof. Sunny Awhefeada said after series of meetings and screening exercise within the given time, the committee recommended Edevbie, Gbagi and Oborevwori as its preferred choices.

Awhefeada added that the selection of the three aspirants out of the five took place in the morning of the 6 of February, 2022, and that the evaluation of each aspirant was based on criteria previously agreed upon by all members of the Screening Committee.

In his response, National Chairman of DC-23, Chief Senator Ighoyota Amori commended the committee for painstakingly and dutifully executing the assignment given to members of the committee in producing the three-man list for the Delta governorship.

Amori pleaded with those who didn’t make the list of three to accept the committee’s report and recommendation in good faith, as only one person can be Governor at a time. The five aspirants are all heroes and winners”, he added.

He noted that the DC-23 leadership shall continue to uphold fairness and transparency in the discharge of its responsibilities without fear or favour.

The DC-23, after the adoption of the report, called on political leaders and stakeholders across Delta State to queue behind any of the three aspirants as the decision to pick one in the three-man list now rely solely on Deltans.

With additional reports from Niger Delta Today

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