The recent outgoing governor of Delta, Ifeanyi Okowa, has spoken about his disagreement with James Ibori.
Since the Delta Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary election in 2022, Okowa and Ibori have been at odds.
Ibori had backed Sheriff Oborevwori, a former speaker of the state house of assembly, while Okowa backed David Edevbie, a commissioner of finance in his government.
Oborevwori ultimately prevailed in the primary and went on to win the governorship race. On Monday, he was sworn into office.
Okowa claimed that Ibori and she had a disagreement because Ibori insisted on supporting Edevbie.
I felt surprised and duped.
In an interview with journalists on Sunday, Okowa discussed his reasons for objecting to Ibori’s selection and his decision to camp out with Oborevwori.
Before the 2015 governorship race, Okowa said Edevbie had deceived him into thinking he would uphold the Delta PDP zoning rule.
The recently-departed Delta governor claimed to have discussed his misgivings about Edevbie with Ibori, who reportedly remained unconvinced.
Commissioners in the Ibori government included Okowa and Edevbie.
I’m not particularly eager to bring it up, but there’s no denying that we didn’t collaborate, Okowa stated.
We did not support the same candidate going into the primaries, and despite our discussions, Ibori refused to change his position. That is the truth, and I did not support that candidate for fundamental reasons that I sufficiently explained to both him and his own candidate.
“I didn’t conceal it. I speak honestly about it until tomorrow, not because I believed I was a god who needed to appoint someone. My friend David Edevbie is David. As commissioners, we served alongside the former governor during his term in office. Still, in 2014, when it was clear that the Delta North was going to be represented since the Delta Central and Delta South had taken their turns, I learned that David was planning to run and that he was expressing interest.
“I travelled to Lagos from Abuja with three of my friends to see David, and I begged him to treat me like a friend rather than a competitor since it’s only fair. If you try to run, it won’t be just. Why don’t you give us our own space so that we may all be considered to be a part of the state? Governor James Ibori and Governor Uduaghan have both been there, and it is plainly the Delta North’s turn. After that, we can all work to elect you governor.
Then, he declared, “I will not run any farther; I will back you. I said “thank you” and headed back to Abuja.
When Edevbie was a senator, according to Okowa, he broke his commitment and met secretly with interested parties to plan his path to becoming governor.
The next thing we heard, he said, was that they had approved David but that this particular David had pledged his allegiance to me.
We started the race, which was extremely difficult, but God gave me the victory.
The statement “EDEVBIE CAN’T ENJOY ZONING HE NEVER SUPPORTED”
Edevbie was included in Okowa’s cabinet as a commissioner, but Okowa said that Edevbie continued to work on his strategies for succeeding him as governor.
In the second year, Okowa claimed, “I began to hear that he was attending meetings in Lagos and other locations where they were already preparing him to be governor without anyone consulting with me.”
Although the gubernatorial seat in 2023 would go to Delta Central, which is Edevbie’s zone, the PDP vice presidential candidate insisted that the former commissioner would not be a benefit.
He initially opposed the zoning for Delta North, so if it was to continue, Okowa remarked, “He’s my friend but he shouldn’t be the one to benefit from the zoning he did not want.”
My sole view is that someone who does not believe in the zoning cannot be the one to benefit from it, and I made that clear to the former governor. But, I will need help to support someone outside of Delta Central.
Okowa claimed that Ibori and he had a meeting a few days prior to the primary to achieve an agreement on a new candidate, but he added that it was too little, too late.
“I warned him that it would be challenging to stop supporting my candidate. I don’t act in that way,” Okowa declared.
Oborevwori won the governorship by defeating APC contender and former deputy speaker of the House of representatives Ovie Omo-Agege.
