Ifeanyi Okowa is one governor that cherishes the unity of Delta State so much that he has continuously pleaded to the people of the state to remain united beyond May 29, 2023 when his successor would have taken over the leadership of the state.
Unfolding events in the state since the recently held primary elections of political parties have however, revealed that the governor’s dream for a united Delta beyond his tenure, may be elusive as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) under his leadership is now divided into camps and are fighting themselves over who becomes the governor of the state.
The disunity has not just given birth to camps within the party but has also led to some aggrieved persons joining other political parties in order to realise their political ambitions next year.
Many more members are also strategising to decamp to new parties in the coming days and months should their grievances not be addressed.
Since the beginning of the current democracy in 1999, Delta has been a PDP state as no opposition political party had been able to dislodge it from the Government House.
Efforts by the All Progressives Congress (APC), the main opposition party, to succeed in taking over the leadership of the state had always crumbled like a pack of cards.
The much talked about unity the state enjoyed had been attributed to the peace existing in the ruling party and the members ability to reconcile themselves when there was disagreement.
Though there were members defecting to other parties, there were remnants still holding forth, making the party tick and the envy all, that the APC threats had never materialised in the state.
Grapevine information however, revealed that those who are not comfortable the way Governor Okowa and the party leadership are handling the affairs of the party, are strategising to leave the party.
At the moment, the David Edebvie who Okowa had appointed Commissioner for Finance and later the Chief of Staff, is not ready to allow Sheriff Oborevwori, the speaker of the state house of Assembly to be the governor of the state having been declared winner of the recent PDP gubernatorial primary election.
Thus, Edebvie had dragged Oborevwori to a Federal High Court in Abuja, accusing him of certificate forgery and other things which the court considered and disqualified Oborevwori from being the authentic gubernatorial candidate of the Delta PDP for the 2023 election.
While Edebvie is looking up to the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare him the authentic governorship flag bearer of the party, Oborevwori on his part is working to retain his position. He has since applied for a stay of execution order to prevent Edebvie from replacing him pending when the Court of Appeal will decide on the matter.
Okowa, who at the 7th anniversary of his administration, in May, had called for the strengthening of the unity among Deltans, said it would lead to more development of the state and its people.
Read also: Why everyone’s talking about Governor Okowa
According to him, there was a need for Deltans to remain as one so as to engender progress, irrespective of tribes and tongues.
“We have to remain in one accord if we want to progress as a people. Let not the division of ethnicity separate us and put us asunder as a people.
“We may have been a state with so many languages but today by the special grace of God, we speak in one language as Deltans and I pray that even as we leave office, this shall remain,” he stated.
Okowa commended James Ibori and Emmanuel Uduaghan, his predecessors for laying the foundation upon which he and his deputy built on.
PDP members and indeed, most Delta citizens are blaming the governor for the current disunity in the party and the state at large because of the manner he went about ensuring victory for Oborevwori.
They also believe that governor is the one living contrary to his own words as they accuse him of betraying his fellow South-Southerners to accept vice presidential slot of the PDP rather than working for a president to emerge from the south as agreed by Southern governors.
Many wonder how the unity would come about when those who are at the helm of affairs are not living by example.
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