Delta 2023: Okowa Dumps Sheriff For Agas, Baits Ibori

Speaker of Delta state House of Assembly, Sheriff Oborowheri, may be kissing his gubernatorial ambition goodbye, THEWILL reports.

Findings from insiders within Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s political camp, said, the governor has dumped Sheriff for his former Chief of Staff, Festus Ovie Agas, for the governorship ticket of the Delta State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The move according to insider source, was a frantic last minute move to appease former Delta governor, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, who has shown strong opposition to Sheriff’s aspiration.

Although, Ibori, who seems bent on David Edevbie (his former Commissioner for Finance and one-time private secretary to the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua), has been strongly opposed by Okowa.

THEWILL exclusively gathered that the national chairman of the PDP, Iyorcha Ayu, had told Okowa to go and make peace with Ibori, if his choice candidate in Sheriff must fly.

This advise, THEWILL gathered led to Okowa’s switching support to Agas, to present to Ibori as their consensus candidate, considering the fact that Ibori had opposed the candidacy of Oborevwori.

But it is not clear whether Ibori will support Agas at this time though, Agas is also a member of the Ibori political family.

Apart from opposition by other party stakeholders in the state, Sheriff, who hails from Okpe area in Delta central, is also said to be facing rejection from his Urhobo kinsmen.
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Sheriff, according to THEWILL Findings, appears not to fit the bill of what the Urhobo stakeholders want as governor, hence, they are secretly working round the clock to cause an upset either at the PDP primary or during the general election if he picks the PDP guber ticket.

The opposition, according to our source, made Agas appear the more acceptable candidate to the interests and stakeholders in the state when compared to Sheriff.
Agas and Omo-Agege, the Deputy Senate President, who has also declared interest for the governorship race under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) are from the same local govt, Ughelli North

Agas, who hails from Oteri-Ughelli, apart from been a former SSG to Okowa, was elected into the State House of Assembly to represent Ughelli North constituency II in 1999 and was reelected in 2003, within which period he was elected Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly.