By Dr Norbert Chiazor
Senator Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, Senator Ned Nwoko and Engineer Victor Ochei are musketeers in the political landscape of Delta North.
The triumvirate of Anioma politics: Okowa, the matchless strategist; Nwoko, audaciously footed; and Ochei, exuberantly primed.
In the contemporary politics of Delta North, nay, Delta State, their personae dominate the public psyche, each exerting distinct natures that nudge our sensibilities.
Okowa stages a mythic political destiny. He is the first Delta governor of Anioma descent. A jinx breaker. A fastidious man festooned by history. In the annals of Delta politics, the circumstances surrounding his trajectory are both grand and complex. He scaled an intractable labyrinth to reconfigure Delta political terrain, disrupting establishment and orthodoxies. From a populist underdog to a commanding potentate, he took Delta by storm and captured the governorship diadem in 2015.
Nwoko bears iconoclastic mystique. He is vocal and adventurous. A British-groomed international lawyer with a cosmopolitan orientation. A maverick lawmaker. Whether as a member of the House of Representatives from 1999 to 2003 and currently a Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, he has often moved boldly. Celebrating Nigeria while advocating for Anioma. He thrives on free speech and contrarian instincts. A somewhat political gadfly, enamoured of bohemian tendencies.
Ochei comes with a certain spontaneity. A third- term state legislator who served for 12 years beginning from 2003. As Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly between 2011 and 2014, he presided over the legislature which saw a push for some reforms and infrastructural innovations. His demeanour is euphoric and combative.
Coming to brass tacks, the 2027 Delta North Senatorial contest appears to be a two-horse race: Okowa versus Ochei. The former governor flies the flag of the All Progressives Congress (APC), while the former Speaker stands under the banner of the National Democratic Party (NDC).
A palpable shift in Okowa- Nwoko duopoly. Incumbent senator, Nwoko is presently not on the APC list after a raging senatorial primary. With all modesty, i recall with nostalgic introspection, as a communication bulwark and mobilization hand, that I vigorously bolstered his campaign to excellent victory in 2023 senate contest, a nobler replay from the 2019 senate engagement which went awry.
Whither Okowa or Ochei?
Clearly, this would not be the first political confrontation between Okowa and Ochei.
The two tested their political strength during the historic Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary of December 8, 2014. The most famous of their political encounters so far. It was an endgame wrapped in suspense, never seen in Delta gubernatorial politics. The climax was astonishing. Under the glistening azure skies of the Cenotaph in Asaba, Okowa did far more than seize the moment.
First, he humbled a heavily- backed establishment candidate, David Edevbie, effectively pushing him to what many, regard as political oblivion. Then he floored a field of a dozen Anioma aspirants, including Victor Ochei, Anthony Obuh, Ndudi Elumelu, Godswill Obielum, Ngozi Olejeme, Peter Okocha and several others, in what remains one of the most unforgettable governorship primaries in Delta’s history.
Barely six months later, he emerged the fifth elected civilian governor of Delta, after defeating serial governorship contender, Chief Great Ogboru of the Labour Party in a memorable tsunami.
For the record, South African Nelson Mandela in 1994 and American Barack Obama in 2008 captured global imagination as heroic symbols of identity and collective prestige, following historic presidential wins in their societies.
Though no such classic climb exists in our national canon, there is a plausible parallel.
Within our modest political universe, Okowa’s 2015 governorship emergence occupies a similar emotional space as a timeless source of Anioma pride and renaissance. He remains, for many, a unifying avatar in multi-ethnic Delta.
His election sealed Delta power rotation arrangement forever. An unwritten yet potent ricochet formulated since 1999 presumably under Chief James Ibori, to peacefully devolve governorship seat among the three senatorial districts of the state.
Okowa’s versatility itself bears gravitas: council chairman, commissioner, Secretary to the State Government, senator, governor and more. Such vastness speaks to sturdy stature and uncommon grace.
More significantly in his political journey, Okowa has lifted people while elevating his own essence. Across Delta, Okowa made men. Today, some of those men are making others, replicating a legacy of opportunity, goodwill and social alleviation.
Like every mortal, he has his Achilles’ heel. Cast the first stone if you must. Gratify your emotions if you will. Yet, beyond flak, Arthur remains a defining actor in the capricious drama of life.
He sought to govern Delta to the best of his ability. He provided social infrastructure across urban and rural communities while creating chains of empowerment programmes for Deltans, particularly youths and artisans. Posterity, the most neutral judge, in its own time, will fully assess and situate the scope of those development efforts.
In the context of Anioma/Delta geopolitics and national optics, the distinction between Okowa and Ochei is clear. Okowa commands both the crowd and the contours of our political experience. He understands power dynamics. In Delta, he knows the configuration of most wards and local governments areas as well as the key characters who people them. A testament to his political acuity.
Profoundly rooted in Delta yet visible on the national stage, Okowa possesses overwhelming influence. The class and connection. His contemporaries are not minor. Presidents, governors, senators, ministers, industry czars all regard him.
A man of extensive reach and ornate oratory. A deep man by education and exposure. A medical doctor at 22. He is ascetic with unflappable gait. His distinctive characteristic is calm – never aggressive even in the face of the most extreme triggers. Precise in conduct, neat in appearance and orderly in method.
As Okowa girds his loins to contest the Delta North Senate 2027, what will speak for him? History. Intelligence. Experience. Maturity. Depth. Capacity. Humility. Favour. People.
At the Senate, he would bring what the people of Delta North desire: purposeful representation, dignified identity, meaningful influence and enduring development.
Okowa is my candidate. My choice. Democracy after all signals the beauty of free will. My proposition is far beyond party or partisan impulses. It is also rooted in the prime power of preference. The liberty of conviction.
I stand with Okowa. Firmly!
Chiazor, a veteran journalist, holds a PhD in Mass Communication from UNN.
