Delta 2023: How Emefiele Is Complicating Matters For Okowa

Speculations on the possible emergence of Mr Godwin Emefiele as a presidential aspirant is compounding the political permutations for Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State.

Regarded as one of the most enduring political strategists and survivors to have come out from Delta State, Governor Okowa, it is being said, never envisaged the kind of political complexities that a fellow Ika man could pose for him. Okowa had risen to the position of eminence as the leading politician to have come out of the Ika nation with his political imprint upon the two local government areas.

He had along the way also been able to set the political agenda for the Delta North or Anioma region of the state.

With the governor completing his second term as governor, the expectation was that he would simply go and resume at the Senate where he stepped aside from in 2015 to become governor.

Even more, the governor few months ago did not expect a transition in the office of governor to another person to be outside his control.

However, multiple sources say that for the first time since the advent of the Fourth Republic that the threat from the opposition to the dominance of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has become ominous. Not only has the opposition swollen in terms of high level personalities in the opposition which is presently symbolised by the All Progressives Congress, APC is gravitating about with some swagger that it could for the first time outsmart the PDP.

This confidence is bolstered by the fact that for the first time the opposition has two of the three senators in the state.

With the deputy president of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege almost a shoo-in for the governorship ticket of the APC, the room for manoeuvre for  Governor Okowa has become limited in how he can carry about.

It is against this background that speculations of a rift between Okowa and his penultimate predecessor, Chief James Ibori has become worrisome to PDP chiefs.

GreenWhiteGreen GWG reports that a senior aide of Okowa’s, Ovie Success has, however, debunked the insinuations of a rift between the two men.

Ibori on his part without making a direct inference to the speculations had at the declaration of Chief Ighoyota Amori’s Senate bid cautioned those wanting to disgrace him that God would disgrace them.

At the centre of the speculated differences between Ibori and Okowa is the matter of their preferences for the PDP governorship ticket. While Ibori is said to prefer his long time acolyte, David Edevbie, Okowa according to multiple sources is Anybody But Edevbie.

The prospects of Emefiele coming out as a presidential aspirant and contender on the ticket of the APC is one that is bound to split Okowa’s otherwise solid base in Delta North as a significant proportion of the electorate would want to identify with him in his aspiration.

Okowa who has been reported to also be considering a presidential bid of his own has been less forthcoming on the matter. A source close to him told GreenWhiteGreen GWG, “you know Ekwueme will not enter into anything except he is very sure of his cards.”

Even before the emergence of the Emefiele speculation, Okowa according to another source, had been tidying his Delta North and especially Ika base with meetings with the political structure in the area.

The idea is to enter the battles ahead with a united house because if Emefiele emerges as APC presidential candidate, Okowa would have few options than to work with Ibori and others to help the PDP win. That is except he desires to subjugate himself to Emefiele, a political rookie.

Send Us A Press Statement Advertise With Us Contact Us

 And For More Nigerian News Visit GWG.NG