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From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
There appears to be an air of uncertainty in the political landscape of Delta North senatorial district (Anioma nation) as campaigns for the February 2023 National Assembly election reach fever pitch.
A plethora of candidates of various political parties have lined up in the campaigns, unveiling their manifesto to Anioma voters.
Among them are the usual suspects including the incumbent Senator, Peter Nwaoboshi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and a former member of the House of Representatives, Prince Ned Nwoko of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
There is the Labour Party (LP) candidate, Ken Kanma and his counterpart for the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), Emeka Nkwoala as well as Kenneth Gbandi of African Democratic Congress (ADC), among others in the race to the Red Chamber.
Before now, Delta North was predominantly a PDP stronghold but with the defection of Nwaoboshi, a sitting senator, and the provisions of the amended Electoral Act, the political configuration of the zone might be altered in 2023.
Despite that however, pundits still believe that Delta North senatorial election remains a two-horse race between APC’s Nwaoboshi and PDP’s Nwoko, ostensibly for their political antecedents and party structure.
There is the feeling that there is no dark horse among other contenders capable of springing surprises and swinging the pendulum, irrespective of affiliation to presidential candidates.
Nwaoboshi, for instance, has a rich political history, as foundation member of the PDP, former commissioner in the state, former state chairman of the PDP and now two-term senator. In fact, Nwaoboshi has been on the political turf since the return of democracy in 1999.
On the other hand is billionaire philanthropist and international lawyer, Ned Nwoko, who had represented Aniocha/Oshimili in the House of Representatives on the platform of the PDP. He contested the senatorial election in 2011 on the platform of the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP) but lost to Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa of the PDP.
Both Nwaoboshi and Nwoko are not squaring up in electoral contests for the first time. In the build up to the 2019 election, it was a titanic battle between both gladiators for the ticket of the PDP which Nwaoboshi eventually won, marginally, to get re-elected for a second term.
Few months after the 2019 general elections, Nwaoboshi fell out with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and the PDP leadership, and thereafter pitched tent with the APC with the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege who represents Delta central taking the credit for wooing him over.
His exit from PDP obviously opened up the space for a reluctant Nwoko who had earlier insisted that he would not contest the PDP senatorial ticket should Governor Okowa be interested in going back to the National Assembly in 2023 when he would be rounding off his second tenure as governor.
But the governor had other plans. His brand of politicking landed him the vice presidential ticket of the PDP. The intrigues in the build up to his elevation threw up Nwoko who coasted home to victory against Paul Osaji during the senatorial primary held in May.
Ahead of 2023 contest, the campaign has been intense from the camps of Nwaoboshi and Nwoko, although the later is not physically present at rallies courtesy of a court judgement convicting him of corruption charges.
But his loyalists led by Moses Kamanya, have not let him down. Already, his billboards with bold inscription that the ‘Eagle has no rival’ are mounted in strategic locations within the zone.
Deputy Senate President and the state governorship candidate of APC, Ovie Omo-Agege who led the party’s ward to ward campaigns to Delta North, urged Anioma voters to re-elect Nwaoboshi.
Omo-Agege dangled a carrot before the Delta North people, saying that the zone stands the chance of producing the next Senate President in Nwaoboshi if they re-elect him as he will be the most ranking senator on the party’s platform from the South-South geo-political zone.
“Going by our zoning arrangement, by the time Bola Tinubu from the South-West wins the presidency, his vice, Kashim Shettima is from the North-East, automatically, the Senate President will come to the south and it will be micro zoned to the South-South.
“Delta State will be lucky to have the number three position as represented by Nwaoboshi. It will be an elevation on the DSP position which I currently hold,” he said.
Omo-Agege blamed Nwaoboshi’s travails on forces from the state, promising that before the elections, the senator would be out to personally speak with his people.
The Deputy Senate President also told Anioma voters to vote for an experienced senator with requisite lobbying skills and not “neophyte who will be alien to Abuja politics” to avoid under representation in the next dispensation.
He also tongue lashed the PDP, saying that the party was being disrespectful to other local government areas by picking the senatorial candidate, Nwoko, and the House of Representatives candidate for Aniocha/Oshimili, Ndudi Elumelu, from the same Aniocha North Local Government Area.
But the PDP candidate, Nwoko, distanced himself from Nwaoboshi’s travails, noting that he would prefer to defeat the APC candidate clearly and not by default.
“I like Nwaoboshi to come out from where he is so that I can beat him, I don’t want to win by default, I want to win clearly. This is the chance for me to tell Nwaoboshi that I am best material for Anioma interest,” he said.
The PDP candidate said he has got the experience and requisite lobbying skills to influence development to Anioma nation if elected.
“A good lawmaker is as good as the person with executive power, it is all about lobbying. There are many things to be done.
“Normally I will focus on the general well being of Nigerians because as a senator, I represent Nigerians whether you are in PDP, APC or Labour Party, it does not make any difference, the well being of Nigerians is more important.
“If you look at the bills that I sponsored when I was at the House of Representatives, it was about the people, the minimum wage, disability allowance, youth service.
“Coming down to the state here, this road (Asaba-Benin road) needs to be resurfaced; we need service stations along the way.
“We need to have roads from Oko to Ndokwa East all the way through Isoko to Warri, that road must be done. And the embankment must be elevated.
We need to look at gas flaring. I am prepared,” he stated.
Despite Nwoko’s philanthropic gestures, some political watchers still see him as snubbish and unorganized just like his main challenger, Nwaoboshi.
Those who hold such opinion contend that a closer encounter with both gladiators would reveal the character traits.
A political analyst, Ugochukwu Nwanozie while saying that the traits might work against the two bigwigs, it will not however be enough to swing the pendulum in favour of any other contestant.
“The Labour Party candidate, Ken Kanma may be riding on the mass appeal of Mr. Peter Obi who is the presidential candidate but he (Kanma) is relatively unknown in the political space.
“Besides, he does not have the resources to mobilise across board like Nwoko and Nwaoboshi.
“Agreed that the people especially the youths, are disenchanted with both the APC and PDP but Labour Party has not got that structure to cause an upset in Delta North. It will take a miracle for any other candidate to win Delta north come 2023,” Nwanozie said.
