Elder statesman and former Minister of Information and Culture, Professor Sam Oyovbaire, has described the Delta State Gubernatorial Election Petition Tribunal’s judgement on Friday as fair, just and very well deserved congratulations to the state Governor, Sen Dr Ifeanyi Okowa.

The three man Tribunal headed by Justice Suleiman Belgore, sitting in Asaba, had on Friday affirmed the election of Governor Okowa while dismissing the petition of Chief Great Ogboru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for lacking in merit and competence.

Reacting to the judgement on Saturday, Oyovbaire said:

“First, is my gratitude to God for the tribunal’s judgement which is fair and just; and very well deserved congratulations to His Excellency, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, Governor of Delta State to 2023; and also congratulations to my Party, PDP, for generating the confidence of the political context for the tremendous renewal of Dr Okowa’s mandate”.

Oyovbaire, who noted that there was nothing wrong in individuals seeking audience in court, however, described the recourse to the tribunal process as a waste of time in the face of overwhelming indications that Okowa and the PDP won the election in very fair and clear manner with a very wide margin, describing the effort as a waste of “time and scarce resources”.

His words: “While there is nothing wrong in seeking audience of the judiciary, am disappointed in persons who go to tribunal just to waste our time and scarce resources as it was incontestable that the PDP won with huge margins in 23 of the 25 local government areas of the electoral constituencies for the Governorship election.

“Even, the two local government areas – Ethiope East and Ughelli North – where the PDP allegedly lost, PDP obtained more than 25 percent of the vote! So, what are the authentic issues which the Opposition took to the Tribunal?” Oyovbaire queried.

The former Minister then expressed his worry for the political entity called Delta Central made up of the Urhobo over what he described as the “Ogboru phenomenon”. He wondered why, since 2003, Ogboru, a prominent Urhobo son, has continued on the same trajectory even without success.

“Second, am worried for Delta Central Senatorial District which is wholly Urhobo homeland over the “Chief Great Ogboru phenomenon”, himself my friend. Must Urhobo go on like this – since 2003?”

Restating the rotational policy of the PDP in the state, Oyovbaire prayed that the Urhobo would be able to conduct their affairs in 2023 in such a way that they would not entertain “spoilers of the system and process”.

“As for my party, PDP, the excellent understanding on rotation will get Urhobo back on the stream to produce the successor Governor to Dr Okowa. Can we conduct our affairs as Urhobo nation properly such that we would not entertain spoilers of the system and process? God help all of us and especially, God help the generations of Urhobo ahead of us,” he concluded.

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