The past two years of senator Okowa in the saddle of leadership in Delta state have been a disaster of sort. Sadly and most unfortunately enough, Deltans have not hidden their disappointment on his one-sided, non-listening and self-serving leadership style bereft of any peoples oriented political ideology strictly channelled into enriching himself, his Owa kinsmen and some naive hallelujah praised singers. It is also visibly clear that Deltans, especially some eminent politicians of Delta North extraction are full of regrets that Okowa, in spite of the massive support they gave him to succeed in 2015, has chosen the path of solo political sojourn.
Today, the party structure senator Okowa inherited has been reduced to nothingness and rubbished into becoming an Owa political affairs while the larger majority of Deltans wallow in penury, complaints and ill-governance courtesy of his greed, wickedness and quest to clinch to power at all cost in 2019. He has remained adamant to quality advise and assistance from the same people who made him what he is today without recourse to the fact that the king cannot win without his subjects.
For candid observers, Gov. Okowa has reduced leadership and governance to obituary and naming ceremony activities to the very extent Deltans are now asking if we really have a government in place in Delta state. Well meaning Deltans grouse that Okowa’s suppression of political propagation in the state has in no small measure weakened the state’s political fibre, structure and retarded its advancement because of his hatred for some persons he sees or considers as threat to his inordinate 2019 ambition.
From the low to the high, the weak to the strong, the empowered to the seeking, all know that Okowa’s political future is now tending towards the limbo. For example, let every wise person ask NULGE workers in Delta State about Okowa and tomorrow. The response and answer includes amongst others, regrets, curses, negative talks and wish for him to step aside even now as governor. His fears are obvious as in one of his town hall meetings where NULGE personnel were not allowed to talk while other speech makers were selected. A spade must be called a spade and not a working material. Okowa is a bundle of monumental political failure.
Okowa’s political panic in recent times is not unconnected to the clear fact that he will be substituted by Delta North political gladiators in 2019 with a more credible candidate of which a high powered and strong structured arrangement is already ongoing in the three senatorial districts. Why won’t Okowa be substituted with another person to complete the two-term tenure of the Delta North people when amidst lump sum funds from federation account allotted to the state, ranging from the Paris club refund and bailouts that run into billions of naira, he’s busy commissioning 200 meter roads and a meagre 500,000 borehole projects that will neither stand the test of time nor imparts on Deltans?
Overall, the Urhobos and Itsekiris for example have not hidden their position when they maintained that Okowa was and still a wrong choice for Deltans as he lacks required leadership qualities needed to unite Deltans and lead them to enviable economic height. To them and majority of Deltans, especially the Delta North people , Okowa should be replaced. They should shop and source for a credible, more focused, process-driven and peoples oriented candidate to fill the vacuum that will be created by Okowa’s ouster in 2019 to complete the 8 years term agreed for each senatorial district in the state. Such persons as Hon. Victor Ochei , Mr. Kingsley Emu, Prof. Pat Utomi, Prof. Monye, Hon. Paschal Adigwe, Chief Peter Nwaoboshi, Hon. Dr. Cairo Ojougboh and many other big politicians in Delta North can do even much better. These are people with good and extraordinary leadership qualities who can deliver dividends of democracy to Deltans.
Finally, a cursory look at such states as Lagos and Rivers has revealed that Okowa has failed woefully and our Delta State is still wobbling in political confusion as the state can neither match nor compete with them economically. It is a state enmeshed in bad governance, political quagmire and backwardness with Okowa as governor and his refusal to take a cue or borrow a leaf from governors in these states where Ambode and Wike respectively already captured the heats of their people through verifiable mega projects,Okowa’s chance of returning in 2019 is very narrow, if not zero. The time to replace Okowa is now before he wrecks more political blunder.
Mr. Fidelix Okoh,
Co-ordinator, Aniocha/Oshimili Youths Coalition, Asaba.
