ASABA/Nigeria: The Director-General of the Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei Campaign Council, Hon. Gift Okwuolise, has criticised former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa over what he described as years of inadequate development in Ndokwa/Ukwuani and other parts of Delta North, declaring that his principal is well positioned to challenge the former governor in the 2027 senatorial election.
Okwuolise, a former Labour Party House of Representatives candidate in the 2023 elections, made the remarks in a statement outlining the campaign’s criticisms of Okowa’s record and its development priorities for the Delta North Senatorial District.
He identified the long-standing failure to provide electricity from the Okpai Independent Power Plant to surrounding communities as a major example of what he described as the neglect of Ndokwa people.
The campaign director-general argued that Okowa, who served as senator for Delta North before becoming governor of Delta State for eight years, had opportunities to advance the interests of communities in the area but did not do enough to address their developmental concerns.
He said the continued lack of a functional electricity step-down arrangement for the host communities remained particularly troubling, given the power plant’s contribution to Nigeria’s electricity supply.
The Okpai electricity question, however, predates the current political contest. The News Agency of Nigeria reported in March 2024 that Senator Ned Nwoko had called for an investigation into delays surrounding the project, including the implementation of an arrangement intended to provide electricity to communities within a 50-kilometre radius of the plant. The issue has also featured in public demands by Ndokwa groups for improved access to electricity.
Okwuolise maintained that the failure to resolve the problem during Okowa’s years in public office should be a central issue in assessing his political record. He also cited insecurity affecting farming communities, poor rural roads, limited employment opportunities for young people and what he described as inadequate federal development presence across Delta North.
He accused successive political decisions in the district of failing to deliver sufficient improvements in the living conditions of ordinary residents. His claims formed part of the campaign’s argument for a change in political leadership ahead of the 2027 election.
Presenting an alternative, Okwuolise said Ochei, a former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly and the campaign’s candidate under the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), was advocating a development agenda built around improved security, better roads, electricity access and economic opportunities.
According to him, the proposed priorities include renewed efforts to secure the Okpai step-down project, establish agro-industrial clusters, attract private investment and create jobs for residents of the senatorial district.
He also pointed to Ochei’s consultations across Aniocha, Oshimili and Ndokwa communities as evidence of the campaign’s grassroots engagement, claiming that the consultations and reported defections reflected growing interest in the NDC.
Okwuolise expressed confidence that Ochei would defeat Okowa in the 2027 senatorial contest. He described the anticipated election as an opportunity for voters to assess the performance of established political leaders and decide whether the district should continue with its existing political direction.
The campaign director-general urged voters across Delta North, particularly in Ndokwa/Ukwuani, to support the NDC and its candidates in the forthcoming general election.
He named the party’s presidential candidate as Peter Obi, while asking voters to support Ochei for the Senate, Dr Ugochukwu Nwokolo, popularly known as Overdo, for the House of Representatives, and the party’s candidates for the Delta State House of Assembly.
Okwuolise said the campaign was seeking a mandate for leadership focused on infrastructure, security, employment and improved living standards. He maintained that the 2027 election would provide an opportunity for voters to decide whether the development concerns raised by the campaign should influence their choice of representatives.
The allegations against Okowa, the assessment of Ochei’s political support and the prediction of an election victory represent the campaign’s position. The claims have not been independently established in the statement, and the eventual outcome of the 2027 election remains a matter for voters.
