1. EXPERIENCE: There is unarguably any politician in Delta State living or dead that has the kind of political career that Sen. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa has. Some said he wasted his parents’ money in reading Medicine and Surgery and graduating at the age of 22; and you can’t blame them since he never broke any record in the field of medicine, but did so in politics. It is like he was born to be a politician but went to school to be taught how to be empathetic and sympathetic to human, which is found mostly in medical course. There is no politician contesting the guber position with him that has climbs the ladder the way he does; and we are yet to find another person in Nigeria who has had a smooth political run in Nigeria as him. From a councillor, he ascended the position of Secretary to Local Government. When the defunct Ika LGA was created young Okowa threw himself into the race and he won. Just when one thought he will go back to his medical career, he helped to form the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State from where he was made a Commissioner twice and heading his own sector, the health ministry. After contesting the 2006 PDP primaries with current Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, he was made the Secretary to the State Government, a position where he reformed the workings of the government. Many Special Advisers and Senior Special Assistants will ever be grateful to him for directing that their salaries be paid directly into their account, unlike in previous times when the bosses pay the money and shortchange them. None of the aspirant can boast of this experience.
2. LOVED BY THE MASSES: It is not his fault that he is a man of the people, one whom the general public sees as one of their own. The fault is that he began to touch their lives from the moment he became a Councillor. If a law is made today that only a man who has been a Councillor before can be a governor, it will favor Okowa that has his claim to fame as being a grassroots politician. His disciples call him the grassroot general. Among the entire guber aspirant jostling for the number one position. He is most loved by Deltans. This is evident in all the campaign rallies so far where the crowd rejoices at his sight and reply the ‘power to the people’ slogan of PDP to him, even when they do not do so to other candidates. To them, they have found one of their own who knows where the shoe pinches.
3. CONTROL OF THE MEDIA: We will only be deceiving ourselves if we say the media attention in Delta State is even among the trio of Okowa, Ovedje Ogboru and O’tega Emerhor. There is no denying the fact that the election will be decided 35% by media presence and promotion of one’s principal. Since the primaries, Okowa has succeeded in controlling the Social Media, which obviously has taken over the old school of both print and broadcast. How he has succeeded in assembly groups of Facebookers and bloggers/journalists will be a political trick begging for revelation by his opponent. The PDP primary was heated up with his name and Obuh ruling the cybershere, as Fred Latimore and Ebitimi held the Obuh front as Generals while Okowa numerous foot soldiers were ready on hand to do the needful. Fred Latimore who is now the generalissimo of the APC/Emerhor campaign organization once admitted that the game became tough when "I got into the Obuh’s camp through my dear sister, Chief (Mrs) Faith Majemite. She is my political hero and Amazon of Delta Politics. She has my ears 24/7 because of her pedigree and sincerity in her dealings with political associates. I was deeply involved as a lead writer and commentator in the print and social media for the Obuh agenda. The push was high and in the process, I clashed with the prominent Urhobos and radical social commentator, Oliver Fejiro (investigative Journalist) who has substantial followership on facebook. The Obuh’s camp was sailing perfectly and it all seem that victory was at sight when suddenly, the game changed ten (10) hours to PDP primary" http://www.advocateng.com/the-endorsement-of-olorogun-oteg…/. From Facebook to twitter and blogging to online reports, Okowa currently leads and this is definitely not likely to change when he becomes governor of the State. In this, his aides must take substantial part of the credit. Who wants to lose a team who will give 35% part of the victory? For now, Okowa has it and he can go to sleep, knowing that his name will keep being on top of the game.
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