Delta State politics in the last couple of years has revolved around the question of whether the Senator representing Delta North in the Senate is a royalty, a Deltan patriot, or a villain and pretender to greatness. This question need not be asked or arise at all for a quizzical, reasonable mind who understands nuances, can deconstruct realities from myths, and sieve good intentions from pretences.

Before becoming a Senator, he had distinguished himself in the House of Representatives as a strong voice championing worthy causes, advocating for the betterment of his dear state—all selflessly in the spirit of patriotism and a higher calling, one that sets him apart from the baser level of lucre-seeking, contract-chasing, and manoeuvrings for personal aggrandisement that clearly define the conduct of some Delta representatives at the National Assembly.

How did Sheriff Oborevwori come into the mix? Governor Oborevwori of Delta State, much like his paymasters and godfathers, has come to view Nwoko as the greatest threat to their political survival and thus must be demonised and hanged at all costs if they are to continue seeing Delta State’s treasury as a cash cow. Not that Nwoko has personally or intentionally gone after them—his crime is his unrepentant commitment to the development of the state as a whole and his long-standing resolve to uplift the lives of common people from subservience to a life of dignity and worth. He has broken the rule of engagement in Delta politics, whose holy writ is to keep the people economically down so that the political elite can allegedly continue to pillage the state.

Nwoko has turned out to be a politician of a different hue and cast.

Delta State’s political barometer has heated up in recent times, owing significantly to distinguished Senator Ned Nwoko’s constructive rethinking of his political future, with a significant portion of that review fueled by his desire to further serve his Delta people. It is a resolution of this dialectical thinking in his mind that fired his recent alignment with the ruling APC party.

Prior to this, he had running battles with the Delta State governor over his desire to advise the governor to deliver on his promises for the good of Delta State, pointing out key projects that have been abandoned, which, if completed, would have a positive impact on the people.

This is the genesis of his problem with the governor and the reason for the campaign of calumny against the distinguished Senator.

Professor Adeagbo Moritiwon, a political scientist, said, “Nwoko is not a politician but a Delta patriot, a philanthropist using politics to better the lot of his people. He is not your average politician but a political philosopher.” Nwoko has had a distinguished background anchored in wealth and industry, unlike some pretenders in Delta who have made their fortune by abusing public office.

There is no doubt that he was born into privilege, a royalty by lineage, with an impressive educational résumé hatched in the tradition of the best and most privileged British education.

His reputed wealth comes not from political machinations but from sound and witty intellect, hard work, towering acuity in business dealings and the ability to fish out the nexus between money and industry.

No one needs to be told that he is the head of one of the most distinguished law firms in England and is a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England.

Nwoko is immensely rich and enjoys the finest things in life, including a family worthy of envy. He is a darling husband to six exceptionally beautiful women, and the way he maximises these relationships with harmony and dignity is a testament to his capabilities as a leader. This ability to nurture personal and professional relationships highlights his potential as a unifying figure in a society torn apart by petty political rivalry and wrangling, which have left Delta State bleeding.

His crime is doing the right things at the right time for his people, a verity that runs counter to the proverbial greed, self-centeredness, and disarray in leadership often exhibited crassly among Delta’s Ijaw political figures.

The Senator’s political maturity is sublime, having been hatched and nurtured in the House of Representatives and currently holding a senatorial position, both with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). His deep-rooted understanding of the political landscape, both in Delta State and on a national level, positions him as a viable candidate for governor. His tenure in the House has been marked by a commitment to advocacy for his constituents, which further legitimises his critiques of the current governor.

His troubling moments come from a perceived lack of accountability and responsiveness in leadership—qualities absent among Delta PDP political leaders.

His description of the governor of Delta as a “boy” has been fished and fed on by political jobbers, most of them Ijaw, as a sign of arrogance. This perspective is not only laughable but amounts to childish thinking. In terms of political maturity, Nwoko is an elder statesman and one of the most positively significant politicians in the state. Aside from his travels, intellect, and experience, he is in a vantage position to refer to the governor, a political neophyte, as a boy.

It is akin to when the elder statesman Clark used to refer to former President Goodluck Jonathan as his son. It is a kind of patriarchal, positive watching over of a neophyte growing up, being weaned into politics. It has no pejorative implications, and only warped minds would read negativity into it.

However, such a label invites a deeper examination of Nwoko’s background and the intricate social dynamics at play. Viewing this solely as arrogance overlooks the rich cultural tapestry of age, status, respect, and tradition that hold importance in many African societies. Within this framework, Nwoko’s position as an elder contributes to his right to call the younger governor “boy,” a term that acknowledges their age difference rather than expressing contempt.

Ned’s political peregrination is immensely rich in experience. All his life, he has helped nurture the People’s Democratic Party in Delta in particular and nationally, thus putting him in the front ranks of the party’s builders.

He finally decided to pitch his tent with the All Progressives Congress after the PDP at the national level proved irredeemable and riven by factionalism, while in Delta State, the governor has failed abysmally to provide leadership.

The wonderful welcome accorded to the Senator by the APC hierarchy when he moved to the party is a sign of his importance—little wonder the APC chairman, Umar Ganduje, described him as a “big whale.”

In his welcome address, Nwoko hinted at rumours that the governor of Delta is mulling a move to the APC, saying he is not needed in the party given his vacuity.

Addressing reporters after receiving a heartwarming reception from Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje-led National Working Committee (NWC) at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja, he averred that the Delta State governor does not possess what it takes to add value to the ruling APC, saying that there is an absence of “capacity” on the part of Oborevwori. This, according to him, is why he, alongside critical stakeholders of the APC in Delta State, would block his entry into the APC family.

Nwoko’s vitriol against the governor came against the backdrop of speculation that the Delta State governor is also considering defecting from the APC as part of a survival strategy to retain his plum job in the 2027 poll.

However, Nwoko noted that the governor is not tailored to the APC family since he has not been answerable and accountable to the people of Delta State despite receiving over N52 billion monthly from oil revenue derivation and statutory allocation.

Nwoko has embarked on a mission to break the hold in Delta State by the governor and his godfather, Ifeanyi Okowa.

He believes the people must be free and elections should not be determined by structures but by the people. A government of the people, by the people, and for the people is what he has been advocating for—not a government by Okowa, Sheriff, and some of their henchmen.

Nwoko is determined to play the role of a saviour and would never compromise.

Oghene, a Journalist, writes from Abuja