Oshiomole Conquered “Edo Godfathers”, Who Will Save Delta State From Ibori’s Dynasty?

By Ezekiel Enejeta

Oshiomole Conquered “Edo Godfathers”, Who Will Save Delta State From Ibori’s Dynasty – Anti-Godfather-ism is the ideology on which the soon to be a former governor of Edo state, Comrade Adams Oshiomole pitched his entire political career. Quite frankly, Oshiomole made his stint as anti-godfathers in his days as the chairman of the Nigeria Labor Congress (NLC). Naturally a man whose activism in labor unionism dates back to 1982 when he was the General Secretary of National Union of Textile Garment and Tailoring Workers of Nigeria, a union with over 75, 000 workers, you can only expect a man of liberation from oppressive godfathers in politics.

In his recent proclamation, Adams Oshiomole said he wants to be remembered as the man who masterminded the extermination of godfathers in Edo State. In his words during a media chart he said while answering questions on what he would like to be remembered with: “I want to be remembered as a factory worker who worked and laboured as a daily paid worker in the most subordinated position in the textile mills, rising to become the leader of the textile union and eventually spending eight years as the President of the largest mass driven, mass funded non-governmental organization which the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC, represents.

“And moving from there back home to confront the most vicious, the most feared political godfathers that completely monopolized the politics of Edo State. And against that background that I came on the platform of a new political party, posing that part of my mission is to purge the state of godfathers which is the pre-condition for liberal democracy to thrive and to create a new political environment that is sufficiently liberal such that the people, not the godfathers determine who becomes what in the politics of our state; such that as a precondition for dealing with developmental issues such as infrastructure whether social or physical”.

When we flash back at the time Oshiomole came into the scene of Edo politics, we can count in numbers those he refereed to as “vicious godfathers” running things in the state. In a state with heavyweights like The Igbinedion dynasty, The Osunbors, and “Mr fix” it himself, Chief Tony Anenih, the man who masterminded the installment of Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia as the first elected civilian Governor of Bendel State, then you can understand that Oshiomole stood no chance. It took a supreme court judgement to restore his mandate and since then the taming of Edo godfathers began.

Speaking of old Bendel State, it is the combination of present Delta State and Edo state. Both states have a lot in common in terms of culture, closeness and the vicious politics of godfather-ism. Obviously credits have to be given to Adams Oshiomole for uprooting the menace from Edo politics, but in Delta State there is a political empire lording it over all Deltans, and it is called the Ibori dynasty!

Ibori’s political career began in 1990 when he joined the National Republican Convention (NRC). In 1991, he was nominated to contest for the Federal House of Representatives seat, to represent Ethiope Federal Constituency. He lost the election to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) candidate.

When the Sani Abacha Transition Programme kicked off, he joined the Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM). The GDM clinched a good number of local, state and federal positions, including one of the three senatorial seats in the state. The transition programme was abruptly terminated with the death of Abacha. Ibori then with the leaders of other defunct political groups in Delta State, formed the Delta National Congress (DNC).

The DNC later merged with many others of like ideas to birth the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). It was on the platform of the PDP that he contested and won the January 9, 1999.

Proposed as governor of Delta State, under Nigerian law Ibori had to swear that he had no previous convictions. Using the false birth certificate and passport that he had used for the mortgage application in London, he passed the tests falsely, and was elected to become the governor from 1999. In 2003, he was re-elected as governor for another four-year term.

Although currently serving jail term in a UK prison, his influence and godfather statues runs deep to the core of the powers that be in the state. Aspiring and presents politicians are still loyal to James Ibori. It will be recalled that even the present Governor of Delta State, Sen. Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa have visited him in the UK prisons shortly before his election in 2015.

It is a general believe in Delta State that anyone who have worn an election in the state are all Ibori’s apostles, and Okowa’s emergence as the state governor is one of such.

Before his ouster from the senate, Chief Ighoyota Amori, one of James Ibori’s apostles in the state declared while responding to reporters on Ibori’s influence in the state: “First, there is no doubt that Ibori’s absence created a vacuum because we lost his physical leadership, but I will tell you categorically that even though he is not around, Ibori is around. We have lost only his physical presence but his political presence, leadership presence is still very much with us”. Amori is not the only politician who feels this way, people like James Manager, Peter Nwaoboshi, Festus Ovie Agas, Emmanuel Uduaghan are all in the political family of Ibori dynasty.

When we look at the configuration of Okowa’s cabinet, we see a replica of Ibori’s configuration, for instance the present secretary to the government of the state, Festus Ovie Agas is one of the most loyal apostle of the Ibori Empire. The same paradigm can be drawn in the rest of Okowa’s aides and commissioners.

It has been reported that the “godfather of Delta politics” is likely to return from UK to the state in December this year, you can expect one of the biggest party in the Niger Delta if he eventually returns, only then will you understand that Delta State is nowhere close to being free from “vicious godfather ism”  which is why corruption, mediocrity, nepotism, and looting of state treasury will continue to hunt the state.

The question begging for answers right now is: who will save Delta State from “Vicious godfathers” just as Comrade Adams Oshiomole did for Edo State? only time will tell!