Only the credulous people would say Ibori lost to Okowa in the emergence of least fit Sheriff Oborevwori as PDP candidate for the 2023 Delta gubernatorial primary.
Head or tail, Ibori will decide who succeeds Okowa, whether PDP loses to APC with the reasons, not far-fetched.
I laugh at those who say Chief James Ibori lost and was humiliated by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in the PDP governorship primary election of imposition which threw up the least fit Sheriff Oborevwori as the flag bearer of the PDP in the coming election to determine who succeeds Okowa next year.
Only the naive people would say Ibori lost out. The reality is that Ibori, more than Okowa who imposed Sheriff Oborevwori, was the biggest gainer of the emergence of Oborevwori. Much beyond that, Ibori can never lose in the race for the 2023 governorship of Delta, not even if PDP loses on the ballots to APC for that election.
Why and how?
Ibori and his Urhobo supporters have no justification to complain because 99.5% of PDP and APC chieftains in Delta are Iborists. With Omeni Sobotie as Delta APC Chairman and Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege as APC governorship flag bearer, Ibori will, technically, decide who Delta governor becomes next year.
For a holistic view of what a handful of Ibori’s stakes are in the coming general elections in Delta, his daughter, Erhiatake was handed the PDP ticket to contest the Federal constituency of Ethiope East and Ethiope West seat on a platter of gold. Ibori is the political father of Chief Ighoyota Amori who was given the PDP ticket to run for the Delta Central Senatorial District seat.
Sherriff Oborevwori may be openly loyal and grateful to Okowa for all the incumbent governor’s induced benevolence in his emergence as PDP guber candidate, which is not for free, but that does not detract from Ibori being Oborevwori’s ‘chief Oga’. Ibori brought up Sherriff Oborevwori politically to the limelight and handed over to Okowa. Okowa was made Delta North’s political pillar by Ibori and who remains his political father.
Ovie Omo-Agege who is now the Delta APC governorship candidate was brought up by Ibori who introduced him to politics. Ibori appointed Omeni Sobotie who is now Chairman of APC Delta as a commissioner.
So the APC and PDP leadership in Delta are Ibori boys. I can’t separate Okowa, Sherriff Oborevwori, Amori of PDP, and Sobotie and Ovie Omo-Agege of APC from James Ibori. So whoever wins between these two major parties, PDP and APC, are Iborists.
Apart from these politicians I have mentioned, 99.5% of PDP and APC candidates in Delta contesting the 2023 general elections at state and federal levels are Iborists. Those who say Ibori was humiliated by Okowa are deceiving themselves.
If Sherriff Oborevwori or Omo-Agege win, they are the same Iborists. Ibori is still in charge of PDP and APC in Delta. Delta elites are too quick to be excited about nothing. If Omo-Agege of APC wins the Delta governorship election in 2023 he will honour Ibori to nominate commissioners/special advisers for him to be appointed.
Omo-Agege was appointed by Ibori during his governorship and handed him over to his cousin, Uduaghan who succeeded him. They are birds of the same feather. “Birds of the same feather flock together”, they say.
As of today, the Delta APC, apart from Representatives member, Francis Waive, all candidates in Delta APC in the coming 2023 elections are Iborists. So there is no opposition in Delta state. Head or tail, Ibori wins.
Zik Gbemre
May 31, 2022