By Felix Ekwu, Managing Editor
With the landslide victory of Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori in Wednesday’s governorship primary of the Peoples Democratic, PDP, in Delta State, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa may have on a sound footing begun the journey of becoming the new political leader of the state.
Political observers in the state say Okowa stepping into the shoes of former Governor James Ibori, would however be predicated largely on the outcome of the governorship election in the 2023 polls.
They say that though Okowa has demonstrated his political steam, sagacity, intelligence and mastering of political tactics since becoming governor in 2015 to be able to outwit Ibori in the party’s gubernatorial primary; weathering the coming political storms that lay ahead of the 2023 elections may be a herculean task for him.
Political pundits in the state are of the strong view that it is too early for Okowa and his political think-tank to get carried away by securing the PDP governorship ticket when the main battle is not yet won. Basking in the euphoria of Oborevwori’s gubernatorial primary the pundits opined would amount to the governor and his team counting their chickens before they are hatched.
Okowa the political pundits strongly advised should be up to speed to get all the governorship aspirants on one page to forge a common front to conquer the opposition parties in the 2023 general election.
With the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege expected to emerge as the consensus governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the party’s primary today Thursday at the St Patrick’s College, Asaba, political pundits say the stage would have been set for a major political onslaught that may not have been experienced in the political development of the state since 1999.
Rather than seeing Oborevwori, his strongly perceived preferred choice clinching the PDP governorship ticket as an opportunity to further consolidate on his speculated resolve to become the new political leader of Delta State; even before he leaves office in 2023, the pundits reminded the governor to bear in mind that the falling of the yellow leaves should be a warning to the green ones.
Going by the boast by Omo-Agege during his guber declaration and in a recent viral video that he has the capacity to subdue PDP in the state come 2023 and entrench new dawn of APC dominance, the need for Okowa to quickly erase the public perception of an existing political cold war between him and Ibori would be mutually beneficial to ensure the success of the PDP in the state in the 2023 polls.
Okowa would need to build a more united and virile PDP going into the 2023 contest by spearheading a genuine peace and reconciliation process. The idea of being friends in the daytime and enemies at night should be jettisoned by major players in the party.
Ovie Omo-Agege has a history of being a dogged political fighter when he decides to achieve what he wants. Undermining his political strength especially since his incursion into the national politics of Nigeria will be too risky for the ruling PDP in the state.
A stitch in time saves nine!
