Facts are emerging on how ex-Niger Delta militant leader, Mr. Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo allegedly gave Senator Ifeanyi Okowa $3 Million (about N500 Million) to distribut to delegates that led to his emergence as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the recenly conducted governorship primary of the party in the state.
Tompolo, now a billionaire by every standard, was said to have released the money to Okowa on the eve of the primaries. The fund was believed to be the game changer.
While some other aspirants were said to have openly gave delegates $4,000 and N500,000 at the venue of the primaries, Okowa dished out N1 million to each of the delegates.
It was gathered that Tompolo’s support for Okowa was obtained with some promised concessions, one of which was that Okowa’s running mate, who is from Delta North Senatorial District, will be nominated by him.
The ex-militant leader, who recently purchased six warships to implement a security contract awarded to him by the Federal Government, is said to have positioned a candidate for the deputy governor’s slot from his ethnic stock, the Ijaw of Delta South Senatorial District.
It is on record that a few hours before the primaries, the name of Okowa did not feature highly on the list of aspirants favoured to clinch the governorship ticket.
Until about 48 hours before the primaries, the thinking in the PDP was to run with the perceived compromised candidate of the party and former Permanent Secretary in the Delta State Government House, Tony Obuh.
Obuh is from Delta North Senatorial District, which has never produced the governor of the state and was largely regarded to have the backing of the state Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan and the Presidency.
A day before the primaries, the name of a former Commissioner for Finance in the administration of former Governor James Ibori, David Edevbie, came up.
Edevbie was believed to have become the candidate of the Presidency after Ibori indicated interest in supporting him.
Though there was no complete compromise, there appeared to be an unwritten agreement before the primaries that Edevbie should emerge the party’s candidate.
However, Okowa emerged the candidate of the PDP.
In the current arrangement, the Ijaws, one of the three major ethnic groups in Delta South Senatorial District, would have to take up virtually all elective and appointive positions for the area.
The other ethnic groups in the senatorial district are the Isokos and Itsekiris.
Already, the chairmanship seat of one of the local government areas in the senatorial district has been conceded to Tompolo’s brother, George, by the PDP.
This has raised dust over the initial person pencilled down for the PDP chairmanship position in the person of Weyimi Omadeli.
However, in order to give room for equity, the leadership of the party had to, a day before the primaries, cede the ticket to George.
At the time, the thinking was that if the Ijaws should produce the chairman of a local government area, an Itsekiri man in the person of Uduaghan would go to the Senate, while an Isoko man would emerge as the deputy governorship candidate to a governorship candidate from Delta North Senatorial District.
But, after the concession of the chairmanship seat to Tompolo, the representative of the senatorial district in the National Assembly, Senator James Manager, also of the Ijaw stock, insisted on retaining his seat after his request to be given the governorship ticket failed to click.
Uduaghan, an Itsekiri man, who had initially indicated interest in the Senate seat, was said to have conceded the seat to Manager.
This was based on the arrangement that a governorship candidate will emerge from Delta North Senatorial District, with the Isokos getting the deputy governor’s slot.
Informed sources said the unwritten agreement was for the senatorial seat to be rotated among the Ijaws, Itsekiris and Isokos.
Manager, of the Ijaw ethnic stock, will be returning to the Senate for the fourth time.
And with the push for an Ijaw to emerge as Okowa’s deputy, the implication is that the Itsekiris and Isokos will have no elective and appointive positions in the next political dispensation.
[myad]
