By Akinwale Kasali
Francis Oborevwori, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate in the governorship election slated for this weekend, needs to clear an allegation that he’s working in cahoot with the Governor of the state, Ifeanyi Okowa to unleash terror on the state during the governorship and state house of Assembly election slated for this weekend.
Oborevwori is the current Speaker of the State House of Assembly.
The allegation comes barely 24 hours to the March 18 Governorship election, even as opponents have also accused Okowa and Oborevwori of desperation to win the election at all cost.
Oborevwori is allegedly working with some disgruntled leaders and members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers in the State, NURTW, with the backing of the Emperor of Owa-Alero, to unleash terror in parts of Delta Central, Isoko, Ndokwa Nation, Oshimili and Aniocha area, thereby creating an air of insecurity which will, in turn, discourage voters from coming out in large numbers to cast their votes.
The plot according to a top PDP Chieftain who craved anonymity, who got wind of the plot, said that he decided to distance himself from such plot because he does not want innocent blood on his hand, because the plan which would be executed in stages, is to first create panic on Friday evening in the aforementioned areas considered to be stronghold of the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The panic will be orchestrated by armed thugs in vigilante uniforms who will go round some major cities and town in the selected LGA in Delta Central, Delta South and North, shooting into the air, they will also harass people telling them not to come out the next day if they are not voting PDP, sources said.
Apart from the leaders of NURTW and its members that have been allgedly recruited across the state through the help of their leaders in Uvwie, Governor Okowa is alleged to have granted pardons to hardened criminals who are on a life sentence and some awaiting trial for robbery and kidnap, as well as suspects in detentions whom they will arm with military and vigilante uniforms to disrupt election on Saturday.
It was gathered that the allege criminals have been tasked to ensure that election materials to most of the units in Delta Central, Isoko, Burutu, Oshimili, Aniocha and Ndokwa are destroyed and election cancelled.
According to the Source, “Their strategy is to mop up pockets of votes in Ijaw, Itsekiri and Ukwani and large votes from Ika, and other parts of Delta North to secure victory and cause crisis in Delta central, Isoko, Ndokwa and Burutu to suppress opposition votes. Deltans and the security forcrs drafted to Delta should be vigilant to thwart this evil plot by PDP to rig the election.
“To tell you the level of desperation of Okowa’s led Delta government many hardened criminals have been secretly released from prisons around the Warri and Sapele area, on the influence of Okowa and Sherriff and they are kept in Orerokpe, hotels in Osubi and environs and are hiding from people but will be kitted for the onslaught on Saturday.
“The dire consequence of electing Sheriff Oborevwori as governor of Delta state in the coming election of Saturday 18th March 2023, can not be imagined, he has recruited his former gangs of dreaded killers from Delta, Edo and Bayelsa state, this is how Boko Haram started.
“Right now all his friends and business partners who are motor park warlords are arming young men in Uvwie, Ughelli, Sapele, Osubi, Ekpan and Aladja ahead of tomorrow’s election”.
The PDP Chieftain further alleged that Sherriff has a history of violence.
“Sheriff has been alleged to have shed the blood of two persons in Effurun, one in Osubi and and other one along the highway.
“ Sherriff was in court and sent to prison for manslaughter for these killings. Two times he was in court for manslaughter, instead of being charged with murder.
“But every time, he returns home a free man without the court declaring him a free man. We know that it was governor Uduaghan who used his influence as governor to have Sherriff brought out of prison to help him win elections in 2007.
“Everybody in Okpé and Effurun, Uvwie know that Sherriff is a killer. So, if Sherriff Oborevwori is made the governor of Delta state, the blood of his four known victims will be on the head of everyone who voted for him.
“He was well known as a local money lender in Effurun in the early nineties. After giving out loans, he would seize the properties of those to whom he gave loans. It was well known to everybody in Uvwie that he killed one of his loan defaulters which led to his arrest and detention at Orerokpe police station. He was transferred to the homicide Division, Panti, in Lagos where he was sent to Okere prison on a manslaughter charge instead of a murder charge.
“During the period he was at war with the late Friday Ani for the Uvwie Councillorship position, Uvwie and Udu were under Okpe Local Government Area. He was caught red-handed killing and using a man for a ritual. The dead body was recovered by the side of the caravan he used as an office in Effurun.
“This murder sent him back to Okere prison and at the time, he left prison, again without completing the trial, Osubi had been removed from Uvwie and joined to Okpe Local Government Area.
“He moved out of Effurun to Osubi and out of fear of the Sherriff, the people of Osubi made him the Vice-chairman of the Community Youth Association, under the chairmanship of Mr Ukugwere. But as suspected, he used JuJu to destroy the chairman with a stroke and as such became the acting Chairman of Osubi himself.
“His reign as the youth chairman of Osubi led to destructive acts of terrorism in Osubi and so throughout the construction of the Osubi Airport, Sherriff confiscated the land surrounding the airport which even today remains the personal property of Sheriff Oborevwori.
“We have done our job of warning the people of Okpé and Deltans that having a known killer as a governor is walking into danger with our eyes wide open. A leopard can not change his spots,, the source stated.
The magazine’s efforts to get the reaction of Charles Aniagwu, the state Commssioner for Information were not successful. Calls made to his telephone line were not answered, he has yet to respond to text messages sent to him at the time of publishing this report.
