-March 6, 2023, News/Comments
“Indeed, Omo-Agege has played his card very well and proven to be a leader of season’s choice, having recorded credible achievements infrastructurally while repositioning eminent Urhobos, and by extension, Deltans in federal government agencies. This alone shows that, he is a leader of his time and man of the season to beat”
LAGOS-Delta state is an oil rich region, sited in the southern part of Nigeria, swinging in abundance of human capacity and resources, and being managed by a few cabals, with extended families, whom we considered “ Oligarchical rulers”, not leaders.
Chronologically in the democratic dispensation in Nigeria, from 1999-2007, Chief James Onanefe Ibori governed the state with ideological infrastructural development, even with his high handedness in corruption that finally landed him in United Kingdom’s prison for 13 years after he was convicted for laundering 50 million Euro, stolen from the treasury of the state in 2011, whereas he was acquitted and discharged of bribery and corruption by the Nigerian Competent law court, which has remained an irony the country has suffered till date.
His cousin, Dr. Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan then took over power and tried to cover up the sins of his predecessor, even when it became glaring that our state’s wealth has been milked, whereas, Uduaghan was to leverage in redeeming the irredeemable corrupt practices of his ancestor, but ended up Delta in a state of infrastructural coma, and political sleeping dog. And that is one of the reasons his political fulcrum is like that of ant or mosquito fly as it is today. Thus, Governor Okowa kept him where he belongs.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s administration is not totally bad as that of Uduaghan, at least, a pass mark for maintaining and sustaining egalitarian society of Deltans but failed in addressing pertinent issues like teachers pensions and arearers, infrastructural decay and injudicious use of the state allocations, hence, plugging the state into a debt of N272 billion , and then, his widely acknowledged betrayal of Asaba Accord last year where all southern governors met and unanimously agreed , that power must shift to the south, only for the Governor to accept his party Vice Presidential slot given to him by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential Candidate of Peoples Democratic Party and a perpetual presidential failure.
This is a factor that will work against his anointed Governorship Candidate, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, speaker of the state House of Assembly, whose legislative functions has been compromised because of his ambition, by approving billions upon billions of loan for the governor without no meaningful development to show for, including the revelation of the 13% derivation fund paid by the Federal government, as told by Rivers State governor, Barr. Nyesom Wike, who has used his own resources to build infrastructures across his state.
This alone has triggered loud outcries across the state particularly the opposition, All Progressives Congress, APC. Another factor here that will work against PDP , is the former Commissioner of information’s travails, and Chief of Staff, Chief David Edevbie , who contested the PDP’s primary but lost gallantly to the the speaker because of Sheriff’s choice by Governor Okowa. Edevbie had tried using the legal means, alleging many controversies on Oborevwori’s qualifications and fraud during the primary, but he was unlucky because of how the Nigerian Judiciary operates, threatening the collective will of democracy.
While we acknowledged the factors of the obidients in the just concluded presidential election, won by the Labour Party in the state with large margin, followed by the PDP, while the opposition , PDP came second, this factor will not play out on March 11, because, Deltans are very wise and enlighten politically, and well exposure to the dwelling economic failure of the PDP administration in the state.
Indeed, Omo-Agege has played his card very well and proven to be a leader of season’s choice, having recorded credible achievements infrastructurally while repositioning eminent Urhobos, and by extension, Deltans in vital federal government agencies. This alone shows that, he is a leader of his time and man of the season to beat. If the election go free, fair and credible, Omo-Agege will win in a landmark victory hence, he has to be strategically prepared and safeguard his votes to the later. Certainly, Deltans should know that, with Omo-Agege has governor, Bola Tinubu, president-elect, Delta will witness economic development and better synergy will bring out the best in the state, having made political friends and synergy across Nigeria.
Written by the Editorial Board of Afrikanwatch Network, Lagos ( afrikanwatchngr122@gmail.com).
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