Let’s not equivocate here. The indices and optics in the political space amply suggest that the electoral race to represent Delta North in the Senate in 2027 is a direct contest between the former Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa of the All Progressives Congress (APC ), and ex -Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly,Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei of the National Democratic Party(NDC).
Evidently, the projection of a contest likely to throw up soap- box rhetoric, anxieties, euphoria, political high drama, horse trading, and possibly mudslinging is a no-brainer: Okowa and Ochei have bounced into the political ring with unequalled superlatives and robust social capital.
Commendably, these former political allies’ ‘roll call of honour’ tells a convincing story of remarkably impressive private and public service careers, years put in and sacrificed largely in selfless, people-centred engagements.
For instance, a studied glance at Dr Ifeanyi Okowa’s resume speaks volumes: medical doctor; council chairman; Commissioner of Health; Secretary to the Delta State Government(SSG); Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; two- term Governor of Delta State; ex-Vice Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) in the 2023 General Election.
Conversely, Rt.Hon.Victor Ochei is equally a no fresher in the public cum political space.
He is a graduate of Chemical Engineering; Founder/ Chairman of Day Notch Nigeria Limited, an engineering firm of global status; Member, Delta State House of Assembly representing Aniocha North Council; Deputy Minority Leader; Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly; Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA); President, Nigerian Tennis Federation, among others.
Without gaslighting, these political highflyers’ ‘selling points’ make any of them eminently qualified to represent the Anioma nationality in the Red Chamber.
However, one knows that making a choice out of these two top contenders, especially by voters in a dynamic and highly unpredictable democratic space like ours where selfish and primordial sentiments hold sway, is certainly a herculean task, yet a candidate’s ‘report card’ remains an added advantage.
For Okowa, he is largely regarded as a grassroots politician who walks his talk in terms of mass mobilisation, especially across the nine councils that make up the Delta North Senatorial District.
Evidently, too, the former governor’s enduring stay in the political trenches for over three decades tells a reassuring story of one who understands the undercurrents and dynamics of power ‘capture’.
Moreover, Okowa has other political assets to take to the electioneering field; he has vast and extensive experience in the executive and the legislative arms of government, and no matter how hard his traducers knock him, he, being an ex -state executive, has a chunk of tangible and verifiable scorecards to present to his Delta North constituents.
As the campaigns intensify, he will readily reel out the dividends of democracy he provided as a sitting governor to his Delta North voters.
Even his consultative town hall meetings have been turned into endorsements of sorts by traditional institutions, though Ochei’s camp dismisses the exercise as a mere smokescreen in a democratic dispensation anchored on the one man, one vote mantra.
Moreover, for a political strongman believed largely to be an ‘Establishment’ candidate ,Okowa would be waging a double-barreled war against his contenders, as he will leverage not only on the state government’s mobilisation drive,but most likely as well as from its near-inelastic financial muscle.
Truth is: Okowa’s opponents must deepen their resource base to match him in the battle royale for the exalted Abuja seat.
At this juncture, therefore, one is tempted to ask: Are Okowa’s intimidating credentials and robust service- delivery profile over the years enough pointers to cow any of his opponents to throw in the towel and make a cautious and timely retreat from the political battlefield?
In other words, can Ochei, a major contender, continue to tackle a man who has weathered various political storms , tempests, and near-deadly intrigues?
Well, feelers from those who know Ochei closely say he does not easily run away from political battles; many others describe him as a human dynamo and an incurable optimist who dares where even angels tread softly.
Moreover, he is coming to the electioneering arena with a dose of youthful dynamism and vibrancy.
At 57 , Ochei is believed to leverage on his mass appeal among the youths, as his message of generational shift in leadership resonates far and wide in the nine councils of Delta North.
He and his teeming supporters are already taking a swipe at Okowa for allegedly foisting a clandestine political dynasty for his family and cronies.
Still, Ochei who flaunts his impressive performance as a former lawmaker for Aniocha North, echoes that his mission to the Senate is to replicate that same feat in the entire Delta North, insisting he has the capacity and political sagacity to attract federal presence to Anioma land more than any other candidate.
Ochei and his supporters are equally taking his redemptive message to town,affirming that he is on a rescue mission,to bridge what they call the ‘huge infrastructural decay’ in Delta North despite the zone’s role in the electoral victory of the now APC -led administration in the State.
In his resolute bid to actualise his vision at the Senate if elected, Ochei has rolled out a 10 -point Agenda encapsulated in an all- inclusive governance, better security, power, job opportunities, infrastructure, agriculture, productivity, among others.
Also, the former Speaker is latching on the integrity and impeccable qualities of his party’s Presidential candidate, Mr Peter Obi, to drive his message of redemption home.
Moreover, the NDC flag bearer is making much capital from what he regards as the ‘suffocating hardship’ in the country occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy by the APC- led federal government,to market his candidacy.
Well, as the January 16, 2027 polls draw nearer, the most pertinent questions on many lips are: Between Okowa and Ochei, who blinks first? Can Ochei, a candidate described by Okowa’s many supporters as a featherweight, pull a surprise and possibly upstage the steely ex-governor in the electoral contest? Or will the enigmatic Okowa clinch the coveted Senate seat seamlessly?
Well, let’s not beat our chest in certainty as to which direction the political pendulum will swing towards; after all, the projections and permutations here are mere conjectures buried in the womb of time.
Nwagboniwe, a journalist, writes from Lagos.