By Ehichioya Ezomon
An anecdotal scenario to this copy is the reported breakdown of Hon. Moses Ogodo on July 21, 2026, during his swearing-in as a Commissioner in Delta State at the Government House in Asaba, the capital city. The dramatic event took place after Ogodo had taken the Oath of office, and was walking to the rostrum for a handshake with Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.
“Whilst Governor Oborevwori was waiting, Ogodo, having approached very close, went down on his knees. But he was promptly stopped by the governor, who beckoned on him to proceed forth to have the handshake with him without necessarily kneeling down for him,” The Townhall Ng reported.
“Don’t kneel down for me. Stand up. We are here to serve Deltans together,” said Oborevwori, who, “drew Ogodo closer and embraced him after shaking his hands.” The report added that as Ogodo stepped down from the rostrum, “he equally entered the warm embrace of his wife, who was eagerly waiting, and used her hand to wipe the flowing tears of joy from her husband’s face.”
That scene portrays Nigeria’s winner-takes-all governance system in which opposition members pay in varying ways for their election failures, as they watch those in power decide who, among the ruling party, should get what from the spoils of office.
As political office provides the surest passport, and shortest route to the good things of life, Ogodo, at his swearing-in, could imagine how his new status would change overnight the haunting narrative of a life of misery and want, and self-deprivation in the opposition camp that’s as frightening as it’s lonely.
Delta State House of Assembly member, Matthew Omonade (Ughelli North Constituency I), who credits his own election to Oborevwori’s backing, provides a background to Ogodo’s emotional display.
“When I saw Hon. Moses Ogodo overcome with emotion, I understood exactly why. After more than 27 years of active politics and years of struggling in the opposition, he probably never imagined that he would one day serve as a Senior Special Assistant, let alone become a Commissioner in Delta State,” Omonade said.
“His tears were not tears of weakness; they were tears of gratitude, fulfilment, and divine remembrance. I could relate deeply to that moment because I know what it means for hope to suddenly arise where there had once been hopelessness. I know what it feels like when God uses one man to change the trajectory of another person’s life.
“Your Excellency, you have demonstrated that loyalty, patience, competence, and faithfulness still have a place in leadership. Thank you for believing in people, for giving hope to those who refused to give up, and for proving that God can use one leader to change the story of many lives,” Omonade added.
This brings us to the second arm of the copy, which emanates from a heated debate in the Delta polity, following the reported “support” that Oborevwori gave to his predecessor in office, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa, in the May 2026 primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The said support derives its significance from two proverbs of similar contexts and perspectives, with proverb one, popularised globally by the legendary Nigerian novelist, poet, critic and “a central figure of modern African literature,” Prof. Chinua Achebe, stating that: “A man who does not know where the rain began to beat him cannot say where he dried his body.”
Meaning, “If you ignore your history, you are bound to repeat the same mistakes; forgeting or disconnecting from your past struggle breeds ungratefulness toward the people or lessons that helped you climb out of it, and makes your future foundation incredibly unstable.” (Facebook)
Proverb two says, “One good turn deserves another.” That’s, “If someone does a helpful or kind act for you, you should return the favour by doing something nice for them in repayment. In its core meaning of reciprocity, “kindness should always be rewarded with kindness.” (Dictionary.com)
Oborevwori, then-Speaker of Delta Assembly, aspired, like several other Deltans, for the position of Governor on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under Governor Okowa, a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), who helped Oborevwori to actualise his aspiration.
With Okowa assuming his “godfather” during the 2023 General Election, do Oborevwori’s critics expect him to turn against Okowa during the Delta North primary, stay aloof or throw his weight behind incumbent Sen. Ned Nwoko?
Unlike some “political godson,” who, once they get the power, which they’d knelt, grovelled and begged for, would forget “where the rain began to beat them” and “where the sun(shine) dried their body,” Rt Hon. Oborevwori didn’t forget his political past, and Dr Okowa, who elevated him from Speakership to Governorship.
Oborevwori simply followed, and applied the concept of reciprocity that undergirds the idiom, “One good turn deserves another.” So, the governor shouldn’t render any apology for his alleged support for the primary election of Okowa.
On July 21, 2026, Oborevwori broke his silence on the political and legal battle between Okowa and Nwoko over the senatorial ticket. He spoke via his Executive Assistant on Public Enlightenment (Projects and Policies), Olisa Ifeajika.
Reacting to the court ruling that struck out Nwoko’s suit against Okowa, Mr Ifeajika, at a press conference in Asaba, exonerated Oborevwori from “meddling into (in) the said battle of wits,” and blamed Nwoko “for not waking up early to smell the coffee.”
Ifeajika’s words: “The governor did not meddle into (in) the matter and did not support Okowa to win the Delta North Senatorial District primary as APC candidate for the 2027 general election in the state. We know that the governor has his district to look into and know what was happening there and had no reason to meddle into (in) Delta North affairs.
“This is because as an aspirant or candidate, you will only be in your unit to vote, while other persons are expected to work for your party in their various units across the constituency or state. So, those persons he (Nwoko) expected to work for him were those who had gone to Okowa to say, ‘please come and run for the seat in 2027.’
“The power that Ned Nwoko lost to was the power of the people. Those who put him there earlier in 2023 are those who said no to him for not representing them very well. So, it was the power of the people, not the power of government but the power of the constituents, the people of Delta North that prevailed against Nwoko.”
Alleging that Nwoko’s his own undoing, and that the striking out his suit against Okowa’s candidacy was expected “because the people of the constituent are fully behind Okowa,” Ifeajika recounted how Delta North’s people, including Nwoko’s constituents, supported Okowa’s bid.
He recalled that prior to the primaries, Delta Deputy Governor Monday Onyeme, led a delegation of prominent politicians, stakeholders and people of Delta North to ask Okowa to run for the ticket, stating that, “that was a vote of no confidence on (in) Nwoko, and if he had good advisers, they would have told him the game was over.
“Beyond that, when Okowa eventually accepted, he went on consultations across the nine local government areas in the district. When Okowa got to Aniocha North (Nwoko’s LGA), a Councillor announced that they would buy form for Okowa to contest the primary election against their son,” Ifeajika said.
He noted that after the primary, which Nwoko claimed to’ve won handily across Delta North, “he resorted to the court, not laying claim to victory this time, but saying that Okowa was not qualified to contest for the primaries, alleging that he did not resign from the PDP before joining APC.”
In closing, Ifeajika advised Nwoko to “be a partyman, align with party rules and regulations, support the state government, the presidency and the party to win and advance the development of the country.”
Sen. Nwoko commenced the suit, FHC/ABJ/CS/1062/2026, in his own name but via a person described in the originating processes as his attorney, Mike Nwoko, with trial Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court in Abuja stricking it out as “fundamentally defective and incompetent from the start.”
Relying on Section 285(14) of the 1999 Constitution and Section 88(2) of the Electoral Act 2026, Justice Umar ruled that those provisions are “clear, explicit and unambiguous in vesting the right to institute a pre-election action in an aspirant who participated in the relevant party primary.” (PREMIUM TIMES/News Agency of Nigeria (NAN))
The judge noted that neither the Constitution nor the Electoral Act contains provisions extending the right to commence a pre-election suit to an attorney, agent, or representative. Rejecting Nwoko’s application for amendment, he held that “an amendment cannot revive a suit that was incurably defective from the moment of filing.”
Holding that the originating process was void and incapable of conferring jurisdiction, Justice Umar said “an amendment cannot operate retrospectively to create a valid suit,” and dismissed the application for leave to amend and “struck out the substantive suit for want of jurisdiction.”
A dissatisfied Nwoko – rejecting the court’s action as unjustified, and “an attempt to sabotage the substantive suit at this preliminary stage,” and that “the suit must be heard on its merits” – instructed his legal team to appeal the ruling, “to ensure that justice is seen to be done,” even as he reiterates his “commitment to equity, transparency, party unity, and the overall progress of Delta State.”
While hoping that Moses Ogodo, having “arrived,” won’t, for political expediency, forget his 27-year “domicile” in the opposition wilderness, and repay good deed with ungratefulness, Governor Oborevwori deserves praise for appointing him as Commissioner; and for reportedly supporting, rather than working against the aspiration of his “godfather,” Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, to return to the Senate in 2027.
• _Mr Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.
