The incumbent Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, won an overwhelming victory as the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the governorship election held on the 18th of March. Observers of the political scene in Delta State have ascribed the victory of Oborevwori to the handwork of God almighty who alone gives power to those he chose. Oborevwori’s emergence is a divine project which God conceived and delivered. And the people of Delta State had no choice but to approbate the choice of God.
Oborevwori didn’t take matters for granted in politics. For a man who was not born with a silver spoon and who had to struggle against many odds, he chose his battles carefully and made deliberate choices. He also consulted God every step of the way. His earliest engagements in life were selfless community services in Effurun and Osubi. He stood for the masses, especially the downtrodden, that reposed a lot of confidence in him. He was seen as a rallying point and he began providing leadership at a very early stage. That was why the same people voted him as a councilor to represent them as far back as 1996. From 2003 onwards, he became a Special Assistant, a Senior Special Assistant, Special Adviser and finally a member of the State House of Assembly. After a few months in the House, his colleagues unanimously elected him as Speaker. He was again re-elected as Speaker in 2019 and he became the first ever to be so elected as Speaker twice and now has a record of being the longest serving Speaker in the history of Delta State. Oborevwori has shown to his colleagues that he is a pan-Deltan and consensus builder with rare leadership qualities. That was the reason his colleagues without exception requested that he should join the governorship race. As Speaker, the entire State is his constituency and he has also traversed both executive and legislative arms of government. So, he is well suited to be governor.
Oborevwori submitted himself to every due process in the buildup to the election. He consulted every party leader and elder in the State. He also submitted himself for screening by the DC-23 Governorship screening committee which shortlisted him among the three most preferred aspirants before the primary election. He went on to win the PDP primary election with a landslide which was the first sign of his wide acceptability among party faithful. His opponents took him to court and he won all the way to the Supreme Court. His legal victories conferred legitimacy and credibility on his aspiration and candidacy. He won the hearts of the majority of Deltans from that moment of the Supreme Court victory. After the victory, Oborevwori signed up for the PDP’s reconciliation agenda and this paid off especially with a former governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and other supporters coming to his side. Those who saw the efforts made by Oborevwori to reach out commended his humility and joined him.
Oborevwori also put together a good strategy team which not only crafted his now popular MORE agenda, but also ensured that he dominated media discourse. Oborevwori’s humility and willingness to learn saw him sitting down with the strategy team brainstorming. He was putting in three hours of reading and studying every night. With this “grilling”, Oborevwori became very conversant with the development aspirations of Delta State and how to provide solutions for them. Claims by his opponents initially portrayed Oborevwori as not well educated. The truth is that he is well educated up to postgraduate level with a Master’s degree in Political Science. More than any other candidate in Delta State, Oborevwori has also attended about ten courses in leadership, management and development studies in some of the best universities in the world. All of these came handy for him as he joined the governorship race.
Oboevwori took the message of his MORE manifesto to the people and it registered with them. The ideals he canvassed in the MORE agenda easily resonated with the developmental aspirations of Delta State. His campaign message was coordinated, systematic, focused and well delivered. He took the message to every ward in the State. This was bolstered by his massive street credibility. While his opponents derided him as belonging to the streets, the streets claimed him as their own and voted for him. In fact Sheriff is so loved by Deltans that a movement called the Sheriffication Movement evolved around his candidacy.
The reality of Delta being a PDP state also played a role in Oborevwori’s victory. Delta is PDP and PDP is Delta. The Party puts it awesome mobilization machinery at the disposal of its candidate and he won. This is despite the last minute defection by expired politicians who couldn’t even deliver their units. Closely tied to the PDP factor is the support given by Okowa who has over the years shown that he is a political strategist in a class. The Okpe factor also played a role. Okpe is the largest kingdom in Urhoboland and despite its importance it has not produced a governor for Delta State. Many people keyed into the idea of a Delta State Governor from the Okpe axis.
The political rascality exhibited by Omo-Agege of the APC also advanced the electoral fortunes of Oborevwori. In Omo-Agege’s cupboard is a giant skeleton of political reprehension. He ran a campaign of calumny dishing out lies on the go per second. His desperation alienated him from the people who didn’t trust him. Omo-Agege was rejected by two senatorial districts, North and South, because they know him as an ethnic jingoistic who rejected rotation and holds on to the destructive thinking that Urhobo alone should be governor of Delta State. The massive jubilation that erupted across the State after the announcement of Oborevwori as the winner of the Delta State governorship election is a testimony to vox populi vox dei.