Oborevwori vs Edevbie: Waiting for the godfathers to calm frayed nerves

…Uduaghan's intervention an elixir In the run-up to the 2023 general elections, Delta and Enugu States show similarities in their political orientation and structure. Both states showcase the pre-eminence of two powerful class 99 governors. They have also produced the vice president of the Senate, which is a testament to the states presence at the forefront of national politics. In addition, the fact that both states have been producing Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) Action Leaders since 1999 has made preparations for next year's poll very critical and intriguing for them. Therefore, maintaining the PDP's stranglehold on the two states poses the biggest challenge for the party, especially given the significant challenges from the opposition parties.

While Delta PDP would face the challenge posed by the gubernatorial interest of outgoing Senate Vice President Ovie Augustine Omo-Agege, the growing Obidient movement threatens Enugu PDP. Curiously, prior to the unfortunate setbacks of the immediate former DSP, Ike Ekweremadu, Enugu's political calculations revolved around how the incumbent Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, would contain the gubernatorial ambitions of a senator's fifth term. Besides having a deep war chest, Senator Ekweremadu had been a constant feature of the intrigues and schemes that defined the PDP's hold on Enugu State throughout this time. His interest in the governorship after 20 years in the National Assembly was therefore seen as a huge challenge, not only to the rotational arrangement of power in the state, but also to the succession plan for incumbent Governor Ugwuanyi. . But, deploying a shrewd political strategy, Ugwuanyi, who has also been present in the political arena, both in the National Assembly and in the state, where he is expected to serve as governor in 2023, has harnessed power of loyalty. Former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani had his term in the Senate cut short in 2015, when former DSP Ekweremadu rallied with other PDP stalwarts both in the state and nationally, and dismissed Gilbert Nnaji in 2011. Even in the 2015 election cycle, when Nnamani contested the senatorial seat of Enugu East on the platform of Peoples for Democratic Change (PDC), which he founded, the former governor was again denied access to the Senate. However, after winning the 2015 state gubernatorial ballot, Ugwuanyi, who had just served his third term in the House of Representatives, saw through the schemes of Ekweremadu and co. Governor Ugwuanyi decided to court Nnamani to return to the PDP. Not only that, the Governor ensured that Nnamani maintained his interest in returning to the Senate. In 2019, Ugwuanyi achieved his ambition of bringing Nnamani back to the Red Chamber, as well as securing his second term without much opposition. But it was as the 2023 poll approached that Uguwanyi's masterstroke against internal opposition to the PDP became evident. Acknowledging Nnamani's massive credibility on the street and following, especially the Ebeano political structure that remains relevant in Enugu politics, Ugwuanyi cooperated with the Senator to nominate Dr. Peter Mbah as the consensus choice of PDP Governor. Sources revealed that Ugwuanyi reflected on the reality of Nnamani being the political leader of Enugu East to solicit his (Nnamani's) input in finding the area's PDP candidate, whose turn it was to produce the next governor. in accordance with the zoning agreement in the state. By giving Nnamani due respect as the political godfather of Enugu PDP, Ugwuanyi seems to have killed two birds with one stone, namely, thwarting Ekweremadu's challenge and reducing friction within the party state structure. FOR Governor Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, it is partly this refusal to borrow the succession model of his namesake from Enugu State that is at the root of the unrelenting tension within the Delta State chapter of the PDP. At a time when his nomination as presidential running mate has opened the door to recriminations, Okowa's insistence on throwing up a favorite PDP governorship standard bearer has thrown a damp towel over his relationship with the former governor. James Onanefe Ibori, the godfather of Delta PDP.