Oghenesivbe berates Ochei, Utomi and Ojuogboh over gangs up against Gov Okowa

Executive Assistant to the Governor of Delta State on Communications, Dr  Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe has warned that the political mediocrity being exhibited by three frontline APC Delta North governorship aspirants; Prof Pat Utomi, Dr Cairo Ojuogboh and Barrister Victor Ochei against incumbent governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, shall go down in history as the worst electioneering permutations in guber elections in the state since1999.

The Executive Aide to the governor gave the warning in a swift reaction to an official declaration made on 30th April, 2018 in Evwreni town, Ughelli North by the leadership of Delta APC; to field Delta North Candidate in 2019 and Delta Central candidate in 2023, respectively.

Oghenesivbe disclosed that the power tussle despiration reveals a deliberate gang-up by the trio of Ojuogboh, Utomi and Ochei, with the backing of the mainstream caucus of the party led by 2015 APC gubernatorial candidate, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor.

He opines that the meeting arranged to zone governorship to Delta North, was deliberately boycotted by suspended Senator Ovie Omo Agege and his associate, Chief Great Ogboru, which show that Light of Delta APC faction led by Ogboru is not on the same page with Emerhor’s mainstream faction; a development that will spark off another prolonged supremacy crisis in the party.

“A baby in politics can tell with ease that the governorship zoning arrangement announced at the Evwreni meeting does not reflect the decision of the entire party structure in the state; because the Ogboru faction was not represented to give credence to the Delta North guber candidate agenda being sold to Deltans by the Mainstream cabal.

“It is obvious that Ogboru can never be cajoled into the North agenda because if he agrees, age will no longer be on his side in 2023 to present himself for governorship election.

“Away from that, Olorogun Emerhor will never reverse his decision to support Delta North candidate so as to frustrate and checkmate the domineering political sagacity of his core rival, Ogboru.

“Even as Emerhor and Ogboru pulls political strings and engage themselves in coded and underground power politics; the Delta North APC Guber aspirants cannot on their own gather enough momentum to clinch the party’s ticket. Reason is that the three aspirants do not have the capacity to match the combined overbearing political weight of Gov Okowa and Chief James Onanefe Ibori.

“Utomi, Ochei and Ojuogboh are riding through the back and deep pockets of Emerhor, a man well endowed financially to reasonably bankroll his preferred Delta North Candidate. Emerhor was the financial godfather to Ogboru during their sweet political romance in the now moribund Democratic Peoples Party (DPP).

“Ogboru on the other hand will rely heavily on Senator Omo-Agege to fund his campaign from the billions of Naira garnered from the National Assembly in exchange for his support for Omo-Agege to return to the Senate either via the APC, APGA or any other backstage political party.

“Delta North guber candidate under the Mainstream arrangement shall fail woefully because Delta Central votes will largely go to the PDP and Okowa while Ogboru will smuggle a little fraction of the votes as APGA or other party’s guber candidate.

“It is also the views of political observers that Delta South will not support any APC Delta North Candidate because of the full endorsement of Gov Okowa by the major political leaders in Delta South, Central and North, respectively.

In all, the triangular relationship between Ochei, Ojuogboh and Utomi will definitely crack because the trio are strange bird fellows in politics; trying to tolerate themselves under harsh political conditions as can be seen from the pending chronic crisis between Ogboru’s light of APC and Emerhor’s APC mainstream.

“It is therefore very glaring that the Delta North guber agenda of Emerhor’s faction is bound to clash with Ogboru’s group and Deltans cannot afford to waste a single vote for the APC known to be a party of guy-men hustling to grab political power to oil their extravagant lifestyles and to pay huge bank debts owed by their private companies,” Oghenesivbe said.

It will be recalled that prior to Ogboru, Emerhor and Ochei political romance after the 2015 governorship elections, the understanding was for Ogboru to grab the party ticket without party primaries while Victor Ochei will run as Ogboru’s deputy. That plot paid off at a time Emerhor wanted national recognition and legitimacy to negotiate with the Presidency.

Ogboru and others fell into the plan perfectly and sang praises to God for the new hope of becoming the Governor of Delta State come 2019. Alas, politics being a game of deceit most of the time; took a dramatic turn and before you could say “Jack,” Ogboru and Emerhor fell apart.

Chief Odigie Oyegun, the out going National Chairman of APC tried to reconcile the two Urhobo Uvwiamuge Declaration guber superstars. That reconciliation remains “see and greet” with nothing near political partnership and collaboration till Jesus comes.

It is therefore safe to assert that the political power game playing out in Delta APC and the deliberate gang-up by the three Anioma brothers (Ochei, Utomi and Ojuogboh) against Gov Okowa shall not see the light of day.

APC Delta poor political and electioneering permutations occasioned by visonless leadership and internal confusion in the drowning party is bound to linger on till May 29, 2023 and beyond.