By Ayo Yusuf
A former Senator who represented Delta North senatorial district at the National Assembly, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi has revealed how former Delta State Governor, James Ibori went to great lengths to make sure
Ifeanyi Okowa became governor of the state.
Mr. Nwaoboshi who said at a point he went to see Mr. Ibori in prison to urge the elder statesman to reconsider his support for Mr. Okowa, disclosed that Mr. Ibori remained adamant in his support for the immediate past governor. According to him, Mr. Ibori had told him it was “Okowa or nothing.”
Mr. Nwaoboshi said it was therefore shocking to hear Mr. Okowa saying Mr. Ibori is nothing, after everything the latter gave the former, from several appointments while he was governor to endorsing him from prison to be the next governor of Delta State.
According to him, “I was the person who went to prison on the advise of someone to try to mellow Ibori down on Okowa being the Governor. Ibori told me three times in prison, I was the state chairman, Ibori told me it’s either Okowa or nobody.
“That was how we came back and we told everybody that our leader is saying it’s Okowa or nobody. It is my house that the last meeting of the Delta North met and we voted. Of course you know the voting and the whole Delta North adopted Okowa. It’s in my house in Asaba.
“So if a man who helped us, I was a practicing lawyer in Asaba, and the man was able to put his funds, resources, connections at our disposal. And after that he made some commissioners, he made some special advisers, he made you that, from ministry of agriculture, he took you to ministry of water resources, from ministry of water resources, he took you to this. From there, he fought and you became the secretary to the government and then he supported you to be Governor and you say that man is nothing, history and life will judge you.”
Senator Nwaoboshi’s revelations again revealed the immense powers wielded by Mr. Ibori who could, from the place he was locked up in incarceration for money laundering charges, prevailed on the people of Delta State to vote for his chosen candidate.
