From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
ONCE a fortress and impregnable, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State has suddenly become vulnerable. There is mutual suspicion, and of course, jitters in the camp of the ruling party as recent statement by its acclaimed leader and returnee former governor, Chief James Ibori has emboldened the confidence of opposition political parties especially the All Progressives Congress (APC) that the governorship election in 2019 is a low hanging fruit for it to pluck.
According to the statement which he reportedly made at Ohwelegbo in Isoko North Local Area of the state, the former governor was quoted to have said “I don’t belong to any political party, I am now an elder statesman, my political family members cut across.”
His elder statesmanship however contradicted his earlier position in March, last year, shortly after his return from London when he publicly endorsed the incumbent governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, a senior member of his political family for a second term, urging his (Ibori) Urhobo kinsmen to support him.
Ibori, a two-term governor of the oil rich state in February last year returned from London where he served out jail term following his conviction on charges of money laundering. He was welcomed to a lavished reception by loyalists, and his Oghara country home became a mecca of sorts to politicians across political divides, all of who are his political associates.
At a reception organised in his honour by the PDP in Delta central senatorial district, Ibori however dazed opposition politicians that his heart remained in the PDP, as he endorsed the incumbent governor.
While endorsing Okowa, Ibori gave the hint that he would soon accept the mandate of leadership for Delta central, a development many political observers saw as undermining his political strength.
Recently, Ibori, through his media assistant, Mr. Tony Eluemunor reaffirmed his support for Okowa, saying merchants of rumours were spreading fabricated lies targeted at creating political gulf between him the governor.
“My stand on Dr. Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa’s re-election in 2019 was made publicly, and it has not changed. The things some people manufacture but attribute to me only show the level of their desperation and deserve no direct replies,” Eluemunor stated.
However, Ibori’s latest declaration of his elder statesmanship has unsettled most politicians in the PDP fold as they are wondering what could be responsible for the seeming U-turn.
In fact, Ibori was said to have admonished politicians seeking elective office in 2019 to jump ship if they are denied the ticket of their respective parties.
Chief James Ibori popularly called Odidigborigbo until his recent declaration was the undisputed leader of PDP in Delta State. He was like the soul of the party; the cord that held all the diverse forces in the family together. Going by the implication of the declaration, his exit from the party is like taking life out of the political family he had nurtured since 1999.
While the present situation may be the biggest upset in the political history of Delta State, it is a bonanza of sorts to the opposition parties in the state, if they can capitalise on it, because with the declaration, Ibori is now a fountain of sorts from which all can draw strength and inspiration, and his endorsement can tilt in any direction.
In a veiled reference to this new political posture of his long standing political ally, the incumbent governor, Dr. Okowa had during a campaign rally ahead of last Saturday’s council election, urged his Anioma (Delta north senatorial district) kinsmen to see the governorship seat as a collective responsibility rather than an individual project.
Speaking at the rallies at Agbor in Ika South LGA, Owa-Oyibu in Ika North-East LGA and Ogwashi-Uku in Aniocha South LGA, Okowa said the governorship ballot of 2019 in Delta State is solely about the right of the Anioma nationality of Delta North, not about his personality as the governor.
Okowa enjoined his kinsmen to protect the right, which he noted was occasioned by an unwritten pact for the people of the state, recalling that the other two senatorial districts (Delta Central and Delta South) had ruled for eight years each since the present democratic dispensation and asserted that the case of the Delta North should not be different.
According to Okowa, “since someone has started representing the Anioma already in that capacity as a governor, any Anioma indigene who would truncate the set-up must be seen as an enemy of the people.”
While advising them to turn out en masse and register with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), he also urged them to come out in their numbers to vote for him during the election to have enough vote from the district.
But like the proverbial ostrich that buries its head in sand pretending that nothing is happening, an appointee of the Okowa administration who preferred to remain anonymous described Ibori’s declaration as a “political statement from a seasoned politician.
“Nothing has changed; it was a political statement from a politician who knows his onions, who knows his way around here. Ibori’s endorsement of my boss for second term in office has not changed. There is nothing for the opposition political parties to be excited about, and I don’t see that statement as a confidence boost for any other party than the PDP. Delta is a PDP state and will continue to be so even beyond 2019.”
Meanwhile, investigation revealed that Ibori’s latest declaration is not unconnected with his push to have the toga of ex-convict pulled off his neck through the granting of a state pardon, which can be realisable through a subterranean alignment with the ruling APC at the centre.
Although he was convicted in London under the laws of the United Kingdom (UK), it is the belief in political quarters that the Federal Government can capitalise on its bilateral relations with Britain to grant Ibori’s wish.
As such, there have been series of secret meetings at the national level within the APC where his name has been dropped as the man that could swing the pendulum in the oil rich state. Sources close to APC in the state claimed that with Ibori against his old friends, the PDP behemoth could be demystified in 2019.
“Whether they like it or not, the relationship between Ibori and Okowa is not too rosy and we at APC are capitalising on that. As we speak, negotiations are going on at a higher level to see how the party can use the levers of government to grant Ibori’s wish, with a condition that the favour must be returned in 2019.
“So what is playing out now is the beginning of many surprises to come in the near future provided the negotiations are fruitful and mutually benefitting to both parties. If that is the case, the demystification of the PDP in Delta is very close. Just watch as events unfold,” the source told our correspondent.
Besides, the development is closely related to the position of a public affairs analyst, Mr. Willy Bozimo, who dressed Ibori in a larger than life political garb that is irrepressible, and must not be relegated to an ethnic or regional leader but should be a political leader that will be calling the shots at the highest level.
“I feel Ibori should not be left alone in some quietude away from the maddening crowd of the noise and din of popular politicking. For a man who fought a battle for resource control cannot and should not be confined to the rural serenity of Oghara for too long.
“The shinning bright light of Ibori cannot be placed under a bushel. He needs to be in the forefront of political battles, in spite of the fears in the air. I do not see an Ibori running from politics.
“The politics he must play is such that will earn him quick state pardon for the prison sentence he served in London. He knows what to do without being loud mouthed about it. He is a master of the art of politics.
“Ibori is the boss and he must be in a place where important decisions are made within the national polity. How he wangles himself into a position of authority and relevance is crucial for the well being of Delta people.
“Most of us who have fanatical love for the Ibori think the Odidigborigbo of Africa cannot be hidden away from political limelight. He is a fighter and a political lion who fears no foe or friend.
“Ibori must leave the confines of the rural serenity of Oghara and move over to Abuja to hold talks with those who have the answers to his present situation of a self-imposed climate of fear,” Bozimo had said, shortly after Ibori’s return from London.
Bozimo was apparently reacting to the call by the PDP in Delta central that Ibori should immediately assume the authoritative role as the overall leader of Urhobo ethnic nation.
All said and done, the weeks and months ahead would no doubt be defining for Ibori and his political family in Delta. And whoever gets his support will be the eventual winner of Delta governorship poll, come next year.