{"id":12178,"date":"2026-11-08T00:00:54","date_gmt":"2026-11-08T00:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/08\/2027-between-okowa-and-ochei-a-trojan-horse-race\/"},"modified":"2026-11-08T00:00:54","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T00:00:54","slug":"2027-between-okowa-and-ochei-a-trojan-horse-race","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/08\/2027-between-okowa-and-ochei-a-trojan-horse-race\/","title":{"rendered":"2027: Between Okowa and Ochei, a Trojan horse race?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"2027:<\/p>\n

By Emmanuel l. Nwagboniwe\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s not equivocate here. The indices and optics in the political space amply suggest that the electoral race to represent Delta North in the Senate in 2027 is a direct contest between the former Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa of the All Progressives Congress (APC ), and ex -Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Victor Ochei of the National Democratic Party (NDC).<\/p>\n

\u00a0Evidently, the projection of a contest likely to throw up soap- box rhetoric, anxieties, euphoria, and political high drama, horse trading, and possibly, mudslinging, is a no-brainer: Okowa and Ochei have bounced into the political ring with unequalled superlatives and robust social capital.<\/p>\n

Commendably too,\u00a0 these former political allies\u2019 \u2018roll call of honour\u2019 tells a convincing story of remarkably impressive private and public service careers- years\u00a0 put in and sacrificed largely in selfless and people-centred engagements.<\/p>\n

For instance, a studied glance at Dr Ifeanyi Okowa\u2019s resume speaks volumes: medical doctor; council chairman; Commissioner of Health; Secretary to the Delta State Government (SSG); Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; two- term Governor of Delta State, ex -Vice Presidential candidate of the People\u2019s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 General Election.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Conversely, Victor Ochei is equally a no fresher in the public cum political space.<\/p>\n

He is a graduate of Chemical Engineering; Founder\/ Chairman of Day Notch Nigeria Limited, an engineering firm of global status; Member, Delta State House of Assembly representing Aniocha North Council; Deputy Minority Leader; Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly; Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NlMASA); President, Nigerian Tennis Federation, among others.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Without gas lighting, these political highflyers\u2019 \u2018selling points\u2019 make any of them eminently qualified to represent the Anioma nationality in the Red Chamber.<\/p>\n

\u00a0However, one\u00a0 knows that making a choice out of these two top contenders, especially by voters in\u00a0 a\u00a0 dynamic and highly\u00a0 unpredictable democratic space like ours where selfish and primordial sentiments hold sway, is certainly\u00a0 a herculean task, yet a candidate\u2019s \u2018report card\u2019 remains an added advantage.<\/p>\n

For Okowa, he is majorly regarded as a grassroots politician who walks his talk\u00a0 in terms of\u00a0 mass\u00a0 mobilisation, especially across the nine councils that make up the\u00a0 Delta North Senatorial District.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Evidently too, the former governor\u2019s enduring stay in the political trenches for over three decades tells a reassuring story of one who understands the undercurrents and dynamics of power \u2018capture\u2019.<\/p>\n

Moreover, Okowa has other political assets to take to the electioneering field; he has a vast and extensive\u00a0 experience in the executive and the legislative arms of government, and no matter how hard his traducers knock him, he\u00a0 being an ex -state executive, has a chunk of\u00a0 tangible and verifiable score cards to present to his Delta North constituents.<\/p>\n

As the campaigns intensify, he will readily reel out the dividends of democracy he provided as a sitting governor to his Delta North voters.<\/p>\n

Even his consultative town hall meetings have been turned into endorsements of sorts\u00a0 \u00a0by traditional institutions -though an exercise dismissed by Ochei\u2019s camp as a mere smokescreen in a democratic dispensation anchored on one man, one vote mantra.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 Moreover, for a political strongman believed largely to be an \u2018Establishment\u2019 candidate, Okowa would be waging a double barreled war against his contenders, as he will leverage not only on the state government\u2019s mobilisation drive, but most likely as well as from its near inelastic financial muscle.<\/p>\n

Truth is: Okowa\u2019s opponents must be ready to deepen their resource base to be able to match him in the battle royale for the exalted Abuja seat.<\/p>\n

At this juncture, therefore, one is tempted to ask: Are Okowa\u2019s intimidating credentials and robust service- delivery profile over the years enough pointers to cow any of his opponents to throw in the towel and make a cautious and timely retreat from the political battle field.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In other words, can Ochei, a major contender, continue to tackle a man who has withered various political storms, tempest and near deadly intrigues?<\/p>\n

\u00a0Well, feelers one gets from those who know Ochei closely say, he is not one who easily runs away from political battles, many others describe him as a human dynamo and an incurable optimist who dares where even angels thread softly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Moreover, he is coming to the electioneering arena with a dose of youthful dynamism and vibrancy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

At 57, Ochei is believed to leverage on his mass appeal among the youths, as his message of generational shift in leadership resonates far and wide in the nine councils of Delta North.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He and his teeming supporters are already taking a swipe at Okowa for allegedly foisting a clandestine political dynasty for his family and cronies.<\/p>\n

Still, Ochei who flaunts his impressive performance as a former lawmaker for Aniocha North echoes that his mission to the Senate is to replicate that same feat in the entire Delta North, insisting he has the capacity and political sagacity to attract federal presence to Anioma land more than any other candidate.<\/p>\n

Ochei and his\u00a0 supporters are equally taking his redemptive message to town, affirming that he is on a rescue mission, to bridge what they\u00a0 call the\u00a0 \u2018huge infrastructural decay\u2019 in Delta North despite the zone\u2019s role in the electoral\u00a0 victory of the now APC -led administration in the State.<\/p>\n

In his resolute bid to actualise his vision at the Senate if elected, Ochei\u00a0 has rolled out\u00a0 a 10 -point Agenda\u00a0 encapsulated in an all- inclusive governance, better security, power, job opportunities, infrastructure, agriculture, productivity, among others.<\/p>\n

Also, the former Speaker is latching onto the integrity and impeccable qualities of his party\u2019s Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, to drive his message of redemption home.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the NDC flag bearer is making much capital from what he regards as the\u00a0 \u2018suffocating hardship\u2019 in the country occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy by the APC- led\u00a0 federal government ,to market his candidacy.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 Well, as the January 16, 2027 polls draws nearer, the most pertinent questions on many lips are: Between Okowa and Ochei, who blinks first? Can Ochei, a candidate described by Okowa\u2019s many supporters as a feather weight, pull a surprise, and possibly upstage the steely ex-governor in the electoral contest? Or will the enigmatic Okowa clinch the coveted Senate seat seamlessly?<\/p>\n

Well, let\u2019s not beat our chest in certainty as to which direction the political pendulum will swing towards, after all the projections and permutations here are mere conjectures buried in the womb of time.<\/p>\n

\u2022Nwagboniwe, a journalist, writes from Lagos.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post 2027: Between Okowa and Ochei, a Trojan horse race?<\/a> appeared first on Vanguard News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source: <\/p>\n

Vanguard News<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Emmanuel l. Nwagboniwe\u00a0 Let\u2019s not equivocate here. The indices and optics in the political space amply suggest that the electoral race to represent Delta North in the Senate in… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12178"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12178\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}