By Akinwale Kasali
Great Ogboru can be described as a serial loser. Having contested for the Governorship seat of Delta State on five occasions, many call him the perennial contestant.
He contested against James Ibori in 2003; Emmanuel Uduaghan in 2007 and 2011; and against incumbent Governor of the State, Ifeanyi Okowa in 2015 and 2019.
A great businessman, greatness has not been his fate since his foray into politics, first under his then political party, Democratic Peoples Party, DPP, a party he brought from obscurity to prominence in Delta State, before cross-carpeting to Labour Party.
The DPP, won the Delta Central Senatorial District Election that brought in late Senator Pius Akpor Ewherido. This was the highest success the Party achieved in the nation’s political landscape, before going into extinction after its founder and sponsor, Ogboru, decamped to the All Progresssives Congress, APC, in a bid to brighten his chances of becoming the Governor of the State.
Ogboru, through the influence of Party Stalwarts at the National and State levels, was given the APC ticket in 2019 to contest on the platform of the Party, to the disappointment of the likes of Pat Utomi and other APC loyalists that were eyeing the ticket.
After his loss at the 2019 Gubernatorial polls to incumbent Governor Okowa, many thought Ogboru would throw in the towel, leave the Political scene and concentrate on his business.
But, no.
He is ready to, again, throw in the hat for the Governorship of the State in 2023
Ogboru faces a stiff opposition from the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege who is also eyeing the Governorship seat.
With less than two years to the APC Governorship Primary in the State, Ogboru and Omo-Agege, as well as their supporters, have been at each others neck, trading words.
Senator Omo-Agege alleges that Ogboru has been sponsoring unnecessary wranglings in the State APC.
Both Men are locked in a battle of wits, and took their battles to the venue of the ongoing registration and revalidation exercise of the APC. Their supporters are at one another’s throat, engaging in a fight of supremacy.
It would be recalled that Ogboru and Omo-Agege were both of the Labour Party, where Ogboru contested as Delta State Governorship candidate, while Omo- Agege was elected the Senator representing Delta Central on the platform. They later cross carpeted to the APC.
It is being said from many quarters that Omo- Agege is eying the Delta State Governorship position come 2023 on the platform of APC. Interested, also, is Ogboru who contested on the same party platform in 2019, on the platform of Alliance Democracy, AD in 2003 and Democratic Peoples Party, DPP in 2007. That explains the political fight between them.
The Deputy President of the Senate, recently, slammed Ogboru, accusing him of being used as a tool to sponsor confusion and unnecessary wrangling within the APC, especially at the ongoing membership registration exercise of the party in the State.
According to Omo- Agege, it is regrettable that, at a time when they are closing ranks towards building a bigger, more united and truly progressive family, Ogboru is fighting to destroy the APC in Delta State.
“It is regrettable that at a time when we are closing ranks towards building a bigger, more united and truly progressive family, Chief Great Ogboru would yield himself as a tool to sponsoring confusion and unnecessary wrangling within our Party, APC”, Omo-Agege said.
Omo-Agege pointed out that investigations and findings by him point fingers at Ogboru as the architect and sponsor of the unwarranted attacks on a few Party members as they made their way to joining the gathering.
“Suffice to say that that minor show of shame, however small, was part of a grand plan to disrupt the meeting but it failed. We wish to inform Chief Great Ogboru and his co-conspirators that party membership and privileges are never the exclusive rights of any single individual. Interests of party members makes Party politics interesting but respect for the rights of others strengthens the fulcrum upon which Democracy thrives.
“It is therefore provocative to fight others endlessly and attempt to stop them from aspiring to heights we couldn’t reach”, he concluded.
On his part, Ogboru said he has no intention to exchange words with Omo-Agege because it will be petty of him.
The cold war between the two is strange as both were jolly good fellows. The situation, now, has put stakeholders in Delta State APC Chapter in a fix.
APC Board of Trustees member, Chief Frank Kokori, has shed light on the feud between Omo-Agege and Ogboru.
Kokori stated that the cold war between both party chieftains dates back to the 2019 general elections, adding that he had, on several occasions, intervened to mend fences between both leaders.
He also cautioned supporters of both party leaders not to fan the embers of discord and accused their loyalists of stoking the flames of disunity, which he said if not checkmated, will negatively affect the party in the state.
Giving details of the reported feud, he said: “The issue started during the 2019 governorship election with the inability of Ogboru to get the required votes to win the election.
“Most of his supporters suspected that Omo-Agege did not play his expected role during the polls by mobilizing enough support for Great for the election.
“But I have been talking to both of them and that is why they do not come out to challenge or abuse themselves publicly because that is one of the strong advise I gave to them.
“I have been involved with them and have played the role of a father figure and have been reconciling them in my instances, but I feel the fire is being stoked by their supporters. That has always been the case and up till now, I have been doing my best in this regard.
“I am championing a peace move between both of them and I have done it more than three times even before the elections. But I have decided that both of them have to work together to uplift the party because if they both do not agree, it will affect the party”, Kokori said.
Also, the President General of the Urhobo Progress Union, UPU, Chief Joe Omene, has pleaded with Omo-Agege and Ogboru to sheath their swords in the overall interest of the Urhobo Nation.
The President General urged them to keep their interest aside, adding that no matter what happens, they still need each other in the course of their political sojourn.
Omene, who also doubles as the Ejorofo of Mosogar Kingdom, while speaking to Advocateng from his abode in Mosogar, said, the situation was becoming worrisome. “There is no need for this needless war, they should stop the fire now, sheathe their sword for the interest of the Urhobos, both of them are highly respected Urhobo politicians and the Urhobo are looking up to them, if they continue to tear themselves apart like this, they are telling us that we should forget about better tomorrow for the Urhobo nation
“On behalf of myself and the entire people of the Urhobo Nation I am calling on their surbodinates to hold the fire “there is no problem or issue that cannot be solved, no matter how deep their grievances they still need each other politically” he said.
Ogboru, an astute business man, was employed in 1984 as a marketing officer in a fishing company in Lagos.
By 1987, he left the fishing firm to start up his own private fishing business, Fiogret Ltd, which later grew and expanded to some other African countries. At the time he was involved in the fishing business, he ventured into other businesses which included a Warri based furniture company and Bureau de Change.
In April 1990, Ogboru was indicted in the failed coup attempt of Gideon Orkar to overthrow the General Ibrahim Babangida regime. He fled the country through Seme border with help from his brother, Turner Ogboru.
The military regime subsequently detained Turner and harassed Ogboru’s siblings and did not discourage the looting of his properties by soldiers.
Ogboru initially fled to London but later moved to Angola and Namibia.
He returned to Nigeria in June 2000 and joined the democratic process with the establishment of the South-South Rainbow Coalition, SSRC.
The rift between the two Urhobo sons, many say, would hopefully end as the 2023 Governorship Election draws nearer, to brighten the chances of producing, for the first time, an Urhobo Governor.
