By Akanimo Sampson
Forty years after the Muhammadu Buhari military coup aborted their tenure in the Senate, the Dafinone has again returned to the Red Chamber of Nigeria’s bicameral Legislature with their trademark impact in public service. Senator Ede Dafinone, is continuing in the legacy of his late father in purposeful leadership, people-centric service, and an unwavering commitment to progressive politics.
Ede’s father, David Omueya Dafinone, OFR was a renowned Nigerian accountant and politician, who was a senator for the then Bendel South Senatorial District in the Second Republic. He was a member of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN). He was re-elected for another four-year term, which was short-circuited by the advent of the military dictators, on December 31, 1993, only three months into the term. Before then, during the Yakubu Gowon military regime, Dafinone worked on various fact-finding panels.
He was born on March 12, 1927, in Sapele, Delta State, to Thomas Omueya and Agbami (nee Onomor) Dafinone. He finished his secondary education at Abeokuta Grammar School in Ogun State, and later became an employee of the colonial service, working at the Northern Secretariat in Kaduna State.
The legendary David Dafinone worked in Records and Registration Department and when his immediate superior was promoted, he was appointed administrative officer in an acting capacity of the finance department. At the finance department, his function was to make treasury estimates of the funding needs of the native authorities within the Northern region.
After the Kaduna service, he worked as a manager for Delloittes, an accounting firm in Lagos, from 1963 to 1966, and in 1966, he founded D.O. Dafinone & Co, currently Howarth Dafinone, a chartered accounting firm. In 1997 he became a consultant to the firm. He equally served as an arbitrator for the government under the Ports Amendment Decree of 1969 which paved the way for the acquisition and compensation of port facilities owned by United Africa Company in Warri and Calabar.
A year later, he was in another panel, a tribunal constituted to probe the affairs of the Apapa Road project, and in 1971 was appointed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, to investigate the corrupt practices at Niger Pools officially known as the Nigerian Pools Company, a federal government owned company. He was initially appointed sole administrator. Later, his report uncovered unethical charges such as forging of winning coupons after results had been announced. The probe led to the closing of the firm and the imprisonment of some employees.
In 2003, the Nigerian government conferred on him one of its highest honours, the Officer of the Order of the Federal Republic (OFR). He died 15 years later on September 30, 2018.
However, the election of Ede Dafinone, as the senator representing Delta Central in 2023, did not merely rekindle hope within the Urhobo ethnic nationality; it has fundamentally reshaped the quality of representation of the constituency. Ede is an accomplished accountant, economist, environmental advocate, philanthropist, and a federal legislator of note.
He is battling to soar beyond the enviable legacies his father left by fashioning out his own path, defined by a clear vision: to build human capacity and elevate Urhobo interests in Nigeria’s broader national discourse. To realise that dream, the scion of the Dafinone chattered accounting dynasty, has since 2023, been embracing governance with a purposeful determination, eschewing theatrics and political spectacle.
Ede allows his work within and outside the Senate, to speak volumes. To that end, he is unrepentantly committed to transparency, development, and results-oriented leadership. As Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local Content and a member of key committees, including Finance, Public Accounts, and Ethics. Ede is said to be bringing to bear a huge wealth of experience drawn from his distinguished career in the private sector.
As a reputable chartered accountant and corporate leader, he is leveraging his credentials to influence national policy in ways that ensure that Delta Central is neither marginalised nor overlooked in matters of economic sustainability and inclusion.From raising his voice for ecological interventions in flood-prone areas such as Sapele, Ughelli, and Udu, to spearheading legislative and budgetary actions for climate resilience, his environmental advocacy is unarguably, consistent and impactful.
Notably, the Delta Central senator’s commitment to human capital development predates his current political office. Through the Dafinone Foundation, he has been empowering individuals through vocational training, business support, and educational sponsorships. As a federal lawmaker, he has dramatically scaled up his training initiatives in renewable energy, fish farming, agribusiness, digital literacy, and tailoring. His constituents have gained access to federal job placements, seed capital, and empowerment tools, particularly targeting women, youths, and widows.
During a recent Progressive Digital Media Summit in Abuja with social media influencers from Delta, Senator Ede Dafinone narrated the testimony of his transition from boardrooms to public service, hammering on humility and strategic focus as hallmarks of his leadership. He is encouraging constructive engagement with his office and pledged to support every sincere initiative aimed at advancing the progress of the Urhobo.
Insiders say his empowerment model is transformational, anchored on measurable outcomes and long-term impact. For the senator, politics is not merely about occupying office, but about lifting people and shaping destinies. That explains why he is continuously urging capable Urhobo sons and daughters to aspire to leadership, convinced that increasing the region’s representation enhances its political and economic leverage. Among his forward-thinking initiatives is a blueprint for developing an agro-export hub via the Osubi Airport, an ambitious vision designed to position his senatorial bloc as a trade and logistics powerhouse.
Local sources across the eight local government areas of the senatorial district say Ede’s constituency interventions are widespread and strategic. He facilitated the construction of ICT centres in schools across Udu, Okpe, Ughelli North, and Abraka; installed solar-powered streetlights in communities across Sapele, Ughelli South, and Uvwie; and delivered a 50-room hostel to FUPRE. Health centres have been equipped, transformers replaced in Jesse and Okpara, and science laboratories upgraded in Sapele. Rural transport facilities have been built to improve access and mobility.
That is not all. Medical outreaches, water purification training, and agribusiness starter kits have touched hundreds of lives, initiatives executed without noise, and yet anchored on genuine service. Without the doubt, these laudable initiatives tend to reflect a model of representation grounded in tangible outcomes rather than circus shows.
At a time when cultural identity and equitable development is shaping national conversations, Senator Ede Dafinone is emerging as a voice that cannot be ignored for his constituents, and is demanding the completion of critical infrastructure such as the Amukpe-Agbor Road and the Sapele Seaport, projects capable of unlocking regional economic growth.
Like his father, Ede actively engages traditional rulers, youth groups, and community leaders with his collaborative leadership style devoid of selfish ambition. He understands that the true test of leadership lies not in dominance, but in dialogue and delivery. In the National Assembly, his legislative record reflects depth and foresight. He has co-sponsored bills and supported motions addressing issues such as oil theft, environmental degradation, and fiscal transparency.
Yet, no matter how far his legislative influence is spreading, within Abuja’s corridors of power, the senator is not merely flying the Urhobo flag at the national level, he is redefining modern-day political stewardship. With strategic clarity, quiet conviction, and a firm grasp of both legacy and innovation, he is building infrastructure, investing in people, and restoring public faith in what politics can truly accomplish.
Those who appear to know him better say his leadership is not about “theatrics but substance, not about platitudes but performance”, adding that the road ahead under his stewardship is one that promises progress, dignity, and purpose for Delta Central and the Urhobo as a whole.
