Delta 2023: Who Wears The Crown?

By Annabel Ogheneganre

I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill, but time and chance happeneth to them all. Ecclesiastes 9:11

The politics and power-play for 2023 is now gaining ground with ferocious intensity. The politicians have started what they know best, jumping from one political party to the other seeking for comfortable landing. The political soothsayers have up their game, reeling out ridiculous predictions in the name of prophecies. The gullible ones are being scammed. The merchants of prophetic utterances have started smiling to the banks. The aspirants are popping out of their shells like tortoise scanning the horizon to decipher what the crystal ball holds for them. Everybody is boasting to be the best. In all of this, one thing is clear; only one man will wear the crown in 2023. The almighty question that has defiled simple answer is; who wears the crown?
From the serious-minded to the ridiculous spoilers who are not in the game to win but to stop others, from the fully prepared to the emergency aspirants being goaded by greed and vainglory, the political atmosphere has been charged with overt and covert undercurrent politicking. The boastings have started; the sweet talks and impossible promises. In just about one week intervals, the PDP in Delta State have held two rallies to prepare the ground for the coming battle. The Electoral Act is still in the works and may soon be ready as legal framework for electoral integrity. Those who boast to be popular and advocates of popular democracy have succeeded in stifling the Direct Primaries from the Act, hiding under the umbrella of insecurity and cost. However, the consensus option being entertained by the Act may prove to be another hard nut to crack. Only time shall tell what the future holds.

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In the build up to 2023, two major characters have stood out as the subject of discussion and attacks from left, right and centre. These two characters are Senator Ovie Omo-Agege of the APC and Chief David Edevbie of the PDP. Omo-Agege is facing internal rumblings within the party with many who accused him of supporting the National Chairman to organize the Ward Congress, crying wolf whereas, they were the ones who refused to participate in their party congresses. I wonder why some persons are hurling missiles at the man for their woes whereas the decision to participate or not was theirs and theirs only. When you refuse to participate for one reason or the other, you have no locus to cry for attention. If Ogboru/Keyamo had participated and where shortchanged, their arguments would have been taken into account. However, Senator Omo-Agege will do well to accommodate them and build trust so as to strengthen the party ahead of 2023.
On David Edevbie, many aspirants have taken it upon themselves to heap insult on him for reasons one could not easily decipher. A very well respected aspirant, Chief James Augoye, a man who is working hard and building trust across the land, has many of his supporters winning enemies for him for fear of those seemingly ahead of their principal in terms of favour with some power brokers. Augoye supporters attack Edevbie and Sheriff Oborevwori with every unsavory comment they could muster to discredit them and perhaps reduce them to level of ignominy. This is not right. If Augoye grabs the PDP ticket tomorrow, he will still need the Edevbies and Oborevwori for the general elections. Another character, who himself, has assumed the quality of an attack dog is Chief Kenneth Gbagi, who believes he is the only one with the experience, courage, education, contacts and cash to be governor. But he forgets that this race is not about the best material but the one on whom the favour of God will rest.

As has been remarked by some commentators, killing Abel did not make Cain the favoured one. The masses know better than the political actors think they know. Pulling another person down will not make those beating the drum of shame to rise. Because of politics, many people now take delight in not acknowledging the performance records of Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege. One begin to wonder what is expected of a Senator that Ovie Omo-Agege has not done. And it beats one’s imagination that those characters attacking Omo-Agege are not ashamed to commend the living ancestor of the Senate, Senator James Manager, who has been in the senate since 2003 and running for governor in 2023. What has Manager done in 20 years that Omo-Agege has not surpassed in 8 years?

The Defections: On the defection of some APC elements to the ruling PDP in Delta State, that is a good omen for the PDP. But one thing is clear, the defections have not started and will surely not end with this. APC will lose more members before 2023 and PDP too will surely lose some big names ahead of the polls. This is just the beginning of the defections and PDP should be careful not to accommodate elements who are on espionage mission to the party. These are dangerous time and political prostitution is on the increase. APC too should be wary of some of the characters negotiating with them. Some people are after stomach infrastructure and not principled enough to stand when the chips are down. After all the primaries, real defections will take place and it is only then that one can say with a note of finality that party A or B stands a better chance ahead of 2023. However, as things stand, PDP is on a better footing to win the state in 2023 except the dynamics changes.
This writer strongly believes that Urhobo will produce the next governor of Delta State. Chief Kenneth Gbagi does not possess the character of the Governor Delta needs.

The committee should drop him at this stage. Between Augoye and Sheriff, the DC-23 should summon the courage to drop one and let Edevbie, Aguariavwodo and one between Augoye and Sheriff be allowed to face other aspirants in the PDP primaries bearing in mind that whoever that wins will have an Ovie Omo-Agege to contend with in 2023. Happy New Year!
Annabel Ogheneganre writes from Garki, Abuja. (09030558731 SMS only or [email protected])