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From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
It is the transfer window for politicians in the political season which will culminate into general elections.
The players on the turf have been moving from one political party to the other in a bid to build a formidable alliance to win the elections.
In Delta State, movements of political players have particularly been intense in the last few days with the two major parties – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) gaining and losing members.
The movement has been between the ruling PDP in the state and the main opposition, APC led by the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege as governorship candidate.
The development is however not new to electoral contests in the state as the build up to previous elections had always been characterised by similar intrigues, power play, counter overtures, propaganda and maneuvers.
But the defections have been more in favour of the main opposition party with heavy weights jumping ship from the umbrella party.
On Sunday, what was literally a political earthquake hit Delta PDP as the mainstream wing, Delta Unity Group, DUG, declared for the APC, with a commitment to vote all candidates of the party in the 2023 general elections.
The DUG is renowned as the strategic and “intellectual “ arm of the Delta PDP.
The group previously coalesced around Olorogun David Edevbie, former Delta Governor, Chief James Ibori’s choice for Delta state governor who was rebuffed by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in favour of the House of Assembly Speaker, Sheriff Oborevwori.
At a Special Declaration Rally, Sunday, January 22, at the St George’s College, Obinomba, thousands of DUG members donning their signature red shirts and hats declared formally for the APC.
They were led by its chairman, three-time member of the House of Representatives, Daniel Reyenieju; ex-house speakers, Chief Monday Igbuya and Olisa Imegwu, among many others.
With the development, pundits believe that the 2023 elections in Delta will not be business as usual, as the PDP for once, would be facing the heat of elections, cosmetic show of strength in rallies, notwithstanding.
What started as a gale of resignation especially by very junior political appointees of the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa-led government, graduated into what many perceive as mass resignation from the PDP by disenchanted party chieftains.
The list of those who have resigned so far include Daniel Reyenieju, former member of the House of Representatives for Warri federal constituency; Mrs. Faith Majemite, immediate past executive chairman of Ethiope East; Mr. Karo Ilolo, former Commissioner for Urban Renewal between 2015 and 2019; and Evance Iwurhie, former member of the state House of Assembly Ethiope East.
Two former speakers of the House of Assembly, Monday Igbuya and Oliseh Imegwu; two former members of the House, Timi Tonye and Abel Oshevire; former Executive Secretary on the board of Delta State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (DESOPADEC), Andy Osawota; and former DESOPADEC Commissioner, Pius Ovbije, aka POC.
The list also includes a BoT member, Judith Enamuotor; former House of Representatives member for Isoko, Almona Isei; former Executive Assistant to Governor Okowa on Technical Education, Michael Akpobire; brother to deputy governor, Kingsley Otuaro and SSA on security to Okowa, Bullet Otuaro; and a host of others who publicly resigned from the PDP.
The affected politicians and their supporters have since pitched their tent with Omo-Agege and APC, signaling a dangerous trend for the PDP, Okowa’s vice presidential ambition and the chances of the PDP governorship candidate, Sheriff Oborevwori.
It has however not been a tale of woes for the PDP. The ruling party has also harvested APC and other opposition party members who defected during local government campaign rallies.
A former governorship aspirant from Omo-Agege’s Delta central, Okotete Osiobe returned to the party, while a major financier of the opposition party, Tony Amechi also dropped the broom in preference for the umbrella.
Perhaps, what has headlined the party’s drive for membership, was the latest defection of executive members of APC in Ndokwa East, the locality of Omo-Agege’s running mate, Friday Osanebi.
In one fell swoop, the PDP harvested the APC chairman in the locality, Austin Ogbolu; secretary, Jude Ezimadu; youth leader, Obah Emmanuel; woman leader, Elizabeth Olisa; a member of APC state executive committee, Austin Chikodi; a legislative aide to Omo-Agege, Lucky Dikeadi; and former Commissioner for Youths Development, Ebifa Ijomah.
The PDP in a statement by the deputy director of media and publicity of its campaign council, Ifeanyi Osuoza, gloated over the membership harvest in Ndokwa East, saying that the defection exposed Osanebi as a premature politician.
Regardless, the APC governorship candidate, Ovie Omo-Agege who is in the contest for what many see as his last battle, is predicting a tsunami for the ruling party in the state, in view of the fact that majority of the members of the Delta Unity Group (DUG), have remained undecided.
DUG is the political structure of David Edevbie, a loyalist of former James Ibori, who lost the governorship ticket to Oborevwori.
His supporters within the PDP seem not to be comfortable with Governor Okowa and his perceived vindictiveness.
Moreso, the Ibori political family hurts at the humiliation of their hero, Chief James Ibori who may pretend to be at ease with Okowa, but the ordinary man on the street knows with all certainty that there is a cold war between both leaders.
This is coupled with the uneasy calm among many Ijaw leaders.
And if 50 per cent of DUG members pull out of PDP to support Ovie Omo-Agege, that could be a major setback for the party, hence, the confidence with which Omo-Agege approaches the campaigns, predicting an implosion in the state’s ruling party.
Welcoming some former bigwigs of PDP including Igbuya, Osawota, Akpobire at a campaign rally, Omo-Agege said it was only a tip of the iceberg, saying that what will befall the PDP soon would be unimaginable.
“I can comfortably tell you that Governor Okowa and PDP have seen nothing yet. In next days and weeks ahead, there’s going to be a tsunami, and it will shake Delta PDP to its very foundations.
“Already, we have been informed that other senior members of the party like BOT member, Chief Judith Enamuotor, and former House of Representatives member, Mrs. Almona Isei have left. They are joining us.
“Governor Okowa is so wicked that even his own party members are angrier than even others. In seven years and seven months, he has received over N4.2 trillion. But look at our state. There’s absolutely nothing to show for it. Instead, all we hear are allegations that he has used N25 billion of Delta money to float a bank.
“Last week, I challenged him to tell Deltans the truth about the bank. I am still waiting. We are all waiting. And to add insult to injury, he goes and brings Sheriff Oborevwori, a man whose academic and moral credentials are in public dispute, to succeed him as governor. That’s the biggest insult of all,” he said.
However, a chieftain of the PDP, Sylvester Imonina described those who defected to the APC as not only self serving but have stayed too long the stage and do not want to give the youths the chance to become leaders.
Imonina said the political misunderstanding in some quarters in Delta PDP is a fight between the old brigade and the youths, and urged the youths to take their pride of place by joining hands with the Okowa/Oborevwori project for a greater Delta State.
“It is a known fact that some of those defecting to APC started licking the ‘bottom pot’ of politics in their 30s and 40s. Today, while some of them are in their late 60s, some are in their 70s, yet they do not want to quit the stage for the younger ones to be leaders also.
“In other parts of the country, while some of their contemporaries are calling the shots at the national level and others are showing the younger ones the way up, our uncles, aunties, mothers, fathers, and grandparents in this part of the country want to continue to be enmeshed in state politics to the detriment of the younger ones.
“The recent defection by these people and those contemplating defection to the opposition in Delta State, is self-serving and an attempt to continue to dwarf the youths in the state. The beautiful thing is that they are all walking alone; as the youths are wiser now,” Imonina stated.
Also, the assistant deputy director of media and publicity, Delta PDP campaign council, Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe said the recent defections from PDP by some party members would not affect the victory of the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Oborevwori.
Oghenesivbe said the development was foreseeable as some of the aggrieved PDP members and some governorship aspirants refused to sheath their swords and work for the party after the primary.
He added that more people have defected from other parties to the PDP compared to those who left the party.
Oghenesivbie said the PDP in Delta State is united, peaceful and working hard collectively to ensure that all its candidates across board win the 2023 elections with convincing votes.
“PDP will win landslide in the forthcoming elections because Deltans have accepted our party; there is no other party with structures in the state,” he said in a radio pragramme in Warri.
While the party is quick to dismiss the defections as inconsequential, the development only signaled a deep seated disaffection among aggrieved members who did not yield to reconciliatory overtures.
The boastful posture of invincibility by the ruling PDP in Delta State, notwithstanding, the fortunes of the party might dwindle if the one-man one-vote mantra is anything to go by, as every voter lost is a huge asset.
For Omo-Agege, the governorship election might be his last battle, and he is throwing everything into the ring. Barring any unforeseen circumstance, the governorship is his only route to political splendour in the next dispensation.
And he is up in arms against a political strategist in the shape of Governor Okowa who is the vice presidential candidate of the PDP. Okowa muscled his way through to deliver Oborevwori, against all odds, as the governorship candidate.
The governor had planted his key and trusted men in positions of authority, stepping on toes in the process, knowing that the Deputy Senate President, an equal match for him, would be on the ballot.
Be that as it may, the election is going to be very dicey. There is none whose victory is cast in stone yet as anything can happen.
