In the four states of the South-South region, namely Akwa Ibom, Cross-River,
Delta, and Rivers that the governorship elections will hold next Saturday, the hard-hitting confrontation is likely to be in Delta state.
The Deputy Senate President and All Progressives Congress, APC, gubernatorial candidate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, wants to overpower the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship standard-bearer and Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Sheriff Oborevwori.
Oborevwori is the choice of the incumbent governor, and vice-presidential candidate of PDP in last Saturday’s presidential poll, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, who, shockingly, lost the state to the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr. Peter Obi.
Next Saturday’s challenge will really be sturdy, as Okowa is under pressure to deliver Oborevwori without the support of a former governor of the state, Chief James Ibori, who has distanced himself from the bid, after failing to install his preferred governorship candidate, Olorogun David Edevbie.
However, Okowa has the support of the former governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, who told Saturday Vanguard, weeks ago, that APC lacked the capacity to overthrow PDP in the state.
Can Obidients cause upset with Pela?
What staggered political watchers in the state is the trouble-free manner the LP outclassed Okowa and PDP in the state, making many think that its little-known governorship candidate, Deacon Ken Pela, could create a major upset, if the “Obidients” in the state that massively voted Obi, last Saturday, choose to galvanize equivalent support for him on March 11.
In fact, the wave of the LP movement-cum-revolution has caused serious disconcerts across the three senatorial districts of the state, bringing hitherto political giants, including Okowa, Ibori, Uduaghan, and Omo-Agege to their knees.
APC makes inroad
The political situation is not as shimmering as it used to be for PDP, which lost the Delta South senatorial seat to the APC whose senatorial candidate, Mr. Joel-Onowakpor Thomas, defeated the PDP candidate, Chief Michael Diden (aka Ejele). PDP leaders in the district, including Uduaghan, deputy governor, Barrister Kingsley Otuaro, Senator James Manager, Chief Roice Uredi, former Secretary to the State Government, Chief Ovuozourie Macaulay, Chief Askia Ogieh, and Hon Leo Ogor could not stop APC from taking the seat.
Again, in Delta Central senatorial district, APC’s Chief Ede Dafinone overrun PDP’s candidate, veteran politician, Chief Ighoyota Amori.
Ibori, a close friend of Amori could not help him when it mattered most.
PDP’s Prince Ned Nwoko won the Delta North senatorial district, but many know it would have been a different kettle of fish for him if the incumbent senator, Chief Peter Nwaoboshi, currently languishing in prison, were free and on the ground to marshal his campaign.
From the outcome of last Saturday’s elections, DSP Omo-Agege is more like a new power broker in the state, having grabbed the Delta South senatorial seat from the PDP, besides his Delta Central district, which he willingly surrendered and anointed Chief Dafinone to take over from him.
From the losses incurred by PDP in Delta, last Saturday, the political leadership of Governor Okowa is undergoing a challenge, but many think that it will be a different ball game on March 11, as Oborevwori and Omo-Agege face the real litmus test.
Having lost the presidential election, Okowa knows that the election of Oborevwori is the only way he can bolster his political standing, and with Uduaghan, they seem ready to prove a political point that God spoke to them about Oborevwori, and that he is a child of grace.
Knowing the necessity of the governorship election, the governor, during the week, invited party stalwarts to Asaba to review the just concluded polls and strategize on how to outdo other parties, especially APC and LP.
However, until INEC counts the ballots, and announces a winner, it is difficult to predict what will happen in the state.
Wike faces LP incursion in Rivers
With last Saturday’s polls in Rivers state, in which APC’s Alhaji Bola Tinubu defeated Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of PDP, though made possible by the governor, Nyesom Wike, many believe that the upcoming March 11 exercise will be a different ball game.
However, with the upset created by LP in the PHALGA federal constituency and the strong showing of Obi, the emboldened party may come all out to give PDP a run for its money in the race for the next governor of Rivers state and the House of Assembly slots.
Ayade maintains supremacy in C-River
The APC has a clear lead in Cross River state judging from the outcome of the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Against all permutations and predictions, it triumphed over PDP and LP, grabbing two of the three Senate positions in the state: Southern and Central districts. The only district where the PDP had the upper hand is the northern district where the governor, Senator Ayade, lost the Senate election.
Therefore, it does not need much analysis or clairvoyance for one to predict accurately that the APC might pick the governorship post in the state.
The governor, who, over a year ago, abandoned the PDP to join the APC, built the party and gave it roots and branches, cutting across the state but owing to strategic miscalculation lost the election. However, he still wields great influence in the state. Most of those who won the election for the National Assembly seats are his protegee and he has good standing with the President-elect, Alhaji Ahmed Tinubu.
The APC is in good standing to coast home to victory in the gubernatorial election. The PDP governorship candidate, Senator Sandy Onor, swimming against the tide of the zoning arrangement in the state is having a hard time, as Senator Owan Eno, a close associate of the President-elect roundly trashed him in both the presidential and National Assembly election in Etung local government Area where they both hail from.
The shape of things to come as it relates to the governorship election tilts in favor of APC while Ayade still holds the fulcrum in the political pendulum of the state.
PDP still fragmented
Former governor of the state, Senator Liyel Imoke, and Senator Gershom Bassey are still on one side of the divide, while Onor, the party’s governorship candidate, and ex-governor, Donald Duke are on the other side. The fragmentation affected the fortunes of the party in the Presidential and National Assembly elections.
Emmanuel controls Akwa Ibom
THE outcome of the just-concluded presidential and National Assembly elections held last Saturday in Akwa Ibom State showed that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is still in control of the state, despite major upset in one senatorial district.
The incumbency factor and the dominance of the PDP in the state also played a huge role in its victory during the last Saturday elections.
However, unlike in previous elections, the party lost one senate seat, and one House of Representatives seat to its rival, APC.
Many Akwa Ibom people did not see Senator Godswill Akpabio defeat of PDP’s Emmanuel Enoidem in the controversial Akwa Ibom NorthWest Senate contest as surprising because he is already a political bigwig, and has his way of getting what he wants, despite opposition.
Some stakeholders of the APC and few other opposition parties from Abak-5, insisting it was the turn of Abak federal constituency, deprived of the position since 1963, had joined forces with the PDP to ensure Akpabio lost the last election, but the venture failed.
Similarly, the PDP lost Ikot Ekpene federal constituency seat, comprising Ikot Ekpene, Obot Akara and Essien Udim LGAs, (Akpabio’s constituency) to one Patrick Umoh of the APC because of Akpabio’s influence.
However, with the NASS results declared so far in the state, the PDP won seven House Representatives seats, namely Ukanafun federal const. (Unyime Idem), Itu/Ibiono (Ime Okon) Uyo (hon. Mark Esset), Etinan (Obong Paul Ekpo); Oron (Martins Etim), Ikot Abasi federal constituency (Uduak Udoudo) and Eket federal constituency (Okpolupm Ette), the PDP is still in control.
Given the voting pattern in last Saturday’s polls, many are already talking about how the major governorship contenders, Pastor Umo Eno of the PDP, Bassey Akpan of YPP, and Akanimo Udofia of the APC might fare at the March 11 poll.
The incumbent governor, Udom Emmanuel, who is fully in control of the two senatorial districts of Uyo and Eket, while Akpabio appears to be in charge of his senatorial district, Akwa Ibom NorthWest. Some have argued that the voting pattern will change because of the candidates involved in the race, while others, especially PDP supporters, are optimistic that the status quo where the party usually wins most local governments will remain, as recorded in the last week polls.
Meanwhile, the incumbent governor, Udom Emmanuel appears calm, and very much aware that in the face of severe and unrelenting opposition, he must walk the extra mile in all the senatorial districts if he must succeed to install his successor, as it will not be business as usual.
