From Joseph Obukata, Warri
There are indications of fear and anxiety in some quarters in Delta State that the seeming cold rivalry between Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and his predecessor, Chief James Ibori, over the 2023 PDP governorship ticket, has punched a deep hole in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
The development, Daily Sun has gathered, stems from the manner in which Chief Ibori had left Tuesday’s PDP stakeholders meeting held at Unity Hall Government House Asaba, the state capital.
Pundits say that Ibori’s early exit from the meeting, although he reportedly took excuse after his remarks to catch up with an afternoon flight to Abuja, signalled that all is not well with the party which had ruled Delta State for the past 23 years.
The report claims that Ibori staged a walkout from the meeting when the governor was yet to make his remark fueling speculation that he was angry about the way Governor Okowa was handling the issues bordering on the governorship ticket of the party.
Daily Sun reports that Okowa and Ibori alleged frosty relationship stemmed from Ibori’s unwavering move to install David Edevbie, a former commissioner of finance and Okowa’s former Chief of Staff as the governor’s successor against the governor’s preferred choice.
While Governor Okowa is planning to install his men in various positions including producing his successor, his predecessor, Ibori who currently still controls a large structure of the party’s political machinery wants to be seen as the one behind the enthronement of key political actors.
The political analyst claimed Ibori seems to be in a contest with Okowa who wield the power of incumbency and leader of the party in the state, to control the party’s political machinery ahead of the general election.
‘Ibori is just buying time before he would pull the plug on Okowa using his contacts at the national level of the party,’ a chieftain of the party said.
There were concerns that the party might implode ahead of the PDP governorship primary over the turbulence wrangling over the various electives positions in the state for the next year’s general election.
Sources at the meeting disclosed that the stakeholders failed to reach a compromise as to whether the 2023 governorship should be a micro-zone at the senatorial district level or ethnic bases as being canvassed in some quarters.
It was gathered that gladiators from Delta South who are mainly Ijaws refused to shift ground for the fresh governorship circle to start from Delta Central and Urhobos as being canvassed in some quarters.
Unconfirmed report says the seeming development, plots and schemes over the composition of the state, senatorial, local governments and ward ad-hoc delegates to the party, was the underlining reason Ibori snapped out of the meeting.
But Okowa’s political assistant (media), Mr Ovie Success Ossai, described as ‘outrageous and mischievous’ report that Chief Ibori walked out of the PDP stakeholders meeting at Asaba.
He queried: ‘Why do some people enjoy whispering and spreading false speculation? Why do people believe all kinds of news? Why don’t they think and carry out verification?
Continuing, he said: ‘Assuming Ibori and Uduaghan didn’t make it to the meeting, you would still carry all sorts of falsehood. Assuming they came late to the meeting, it would have been another story.’
He said that the mischief being spread was the handiwork of people who are angry to hear and see that the former Governors, Chief James Ibori, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa were all together at the PDP stakeholders meeting in Asaba.
Consequently, Ossai said that there are no issues between Governor Okowa, Chief James Ibori and Dr Uduaghan, stressing: ‘For proper clarification, Chief James Ibori never walked out of the PDP stakeholders.
He urged those spreading the rumour that Ibori stage a walkout to get clarification from ‘your aspirants who attended the meeting, you can put a call or text to them for confirmation’.
On what transpired during the meeting, he said; ‘Chief Ibori spoke during the meeting and he commended the Delta State Governor Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa for keeping the party strong.
‘After speaking and listening to stakeholders, Ibori then took permission while apologising to Governor Okowa and other PDP stakeholders before leaving for an emergency engagement’, Ossai explained.
He said that the PDP family is stronger than ever before, maintaining that there was no division and power tussle unlike the APC in Delta State.