By Wilson Macaulay
Hon. Daniel Mayuku
As expected in every election period, the Warri south west constituency is currently filled with tensions and suspense as many politicians have indicated interest to take over the baton of leadership from Hon. Daniel Mayuku who presently occupies the seat in the Delta State House of Assembly.
The Warri south west constituency is unique and rooted in two prevailing power blocs which are the main factors that determines which side the pendulum will eventually swing when the hens and cocks goes to roast in the epic battle of every general election.
The LGA is populated with the Itsekiris and the Ijaws ethnic nationalities which explain the reason for the two power blocs system operated in that political enclave.
The man who is currently occupying in the position Hon. Daniel Mayuku is aspiring to the House of Representatives to take over from Hon Daniel Reyeneju, his brother who has been there for three tenures.
A quantum of aspirants has shown interest to contest for a sit in the DTHA through the Warri South west constituency. Here we take a look at some of the candidates their selling points, their lowest ebbs and where they have competitive edge over each other.
Hon. Frank Omare: Hon. Chief Frank Omare is one of the contestants jostling for the DTHA in Warri South West constituency. He hails from Ogbe-Ijoh, he is a good politician who have one or two connections to lean on in the PDP system where he belongs. He also has some boys who can help do some damage or image laundry work for him as the case may be.
However, from the facts on ground, Hon. Chief Frank Omare who recently took chieftaincy title to beef up his political profile in readiness for the 2019 general election has a disconnect with the grass roots masses, reason being that earlier positions of government held by him was not used to the admiration of the masses but he was able to distinguish himself as a politician on whom providence has smiled. This “public millionaire” so to say in the estimation of the people is living in affluence at the expense of the people’s common wealth
The perception amongst the electorate especially in the Ijaw axis where he belongs is that he has crossed from the reach of the grass roots to the aristocratic shenanigans who will stop at nothing until the masses are made to walk in row to their gates cap in hand begging for peanuts.
Although Omare believes that he can use his affluence to bulldoze his way through the understanding amongst the people is that he may not go too far because of the new orientation and awareness amongst the electorate who are in dire need of the dividends of democracy.
The body language of the masses of the Warri South clearly shows that Omare will not offer to them what they deserve if given the opportunity. They strongly believe that he will needs to maintain his flamboyant life style and unquantifiable drive for real estate which will him with little or no time to think of service delivery to the people of his constituency.
He is believed to be a big man who is increasingly becoming republican rather than being a progressive democrat. Since money alone cannot be the deciding factor he is most likely to be shouldered out in the race to the Delta state house of assembly.
Hon. Andrew Igban: Andrew Igban is the PA to Hon. Daniel Mayuku, the present man occupying the office but now aspiring to the House of Representatives. Hon Andrew Igban is also a very good politician with a likable and quiet disposition. He is relying mostly on the power brokers from the Itsekiri axis to throw their weight behind him. His candidacy is not in harmony with the principles of the rotation of power of the PDP which is perceived to be the turn of the Ijaws to produce the candidate for the Warri South West constituency in the state house of assembly.
Andrew Igban even though he is a good politician he is most likely to end up erasing out as a result of the rotational system of the POP which will play out against hie political ambition to have a seat in the Delta State House of Assembly no matter how strong he will want to pull the strings at his disposal.
Indeed Hon. Andrew Igban has a very little window of opportunity which cannot advance him beyond a small circle of his immediate power bloc. Additionally, he has no pedigree or any political antecedent of performance as he only served as an appointed aid to a government founctionary, Hon. Daniel Mayuku the outgoing member of the House who coincidentally is from the same power bloc.
Hon. SIvester Orumone is another contestant from the Ijaw axis of the Warri South Constituency. Also like the other of his co-contestants is a good politician coming from the business back ground. He is a strong warri based oil magnate loved by his people because of his mien and positive disposition towards his people. To a reasonable extent, he enjoys the good will of his people but he is not known beyond the enclaves of the Ijaw power bloc.
Frankly speaking, he lacks the charismatic capacity of a politician who can cement the two power bloc by acting as a soloification agent. He has so much zeal to carry on but may be disappointed by the power brokers in the Ijaw axis as he is perceived not to be in the inner caucus of the deputy governor’s cabinet who controls the Ijaw power bloc in the constituency.
As it is today in the calculus of power he is already facing challenges in the political turf with so many more hurdles left to cross before the epic battle in February, 2019. So clearly he holds the shorter end of the stick as far as the race in the Warri South West Constituency is concern.
Hon. Sylvester Oromone
Hon. Sylvester Oromone’s followership is not deep enough to penetrate the nooks and crannies of the constituency and to make a strong and impressive anction in the minds of the king makers of the LGA. The coast is not too clear for him to sail through at the moment because he will need lot of political maneuvering and adjustment of the sails of his ship to be able to make reasonable impact in the race.
Besides the above minors, he also lack the ability to relate effectively with all the interplay of power which is likely to throw a spanner in the wheel of his political warchest to scuttle his ambition in the race to the Delta State of Assembly in 2019.
Hon. Favour Zuokumor the current DESOPADEC Commissioner representing the Ijaw ethnic nationality is one of the candidates gunning for the Warri South West Constituency seat in the Delta Statee House of Assembly.
Hon. Zuokumor no doubt is also a good politician qualified for the post but perceived to be an Oliver Twist asking for two much having served as a commissioner who is still in office. The understanding amongst the electorates in the grass root is that as the traditional spokesman.
of Ogbe-ijoh Warri kingdom, he is expected to play a harmonious role that will lead to the emergence of a concesus candidate instead of justling for the job. They are also baffled on how he is combining the traditional institution and the government office he is seeking for.
He is a strong individual but considering the calculus of power at the moment in the Warri South West Constituency Zuokumor will not be able to sail through the murky waters and the webs of intrigues that will tangle him in the process.
Information available to our sources indicates that the deputy governor who controls the game in Warri South West Constituency allowed Zuokumor to be in the race to weaken the strong hold of the Ogbe-Ijoh/Isaba axis of the Ijaw power bloc by playing a spoiler role for the deputy governor favpured candidate to emerge.
Hon. Emomotimi Gbuwor is the Executive Assistant – to the Deputy Governor from Gbaramatu kingdom in the Ijaw axis of Warri South West Constituency. Gbuwor, from dependable information at our disposal is one contenstant that is percieved to be sponsored by the Deputy Governor.
Interestingly too, he is a product of the popular camp five which became very popular in the administration of Former President Goodluck Jonathan whep militant generals controlled the creeks, The first appointment Emomotimi Gbuwor got was to serve as an aide to Hon. George Ekpemupolo the then Chairman of Warri South West E.G.A. to play the role of the disemination of government information to the members of his power bloc. When the current Deputy Governor was made a commissioner to DESOPADEC Hon. Emomotimi Gbuwor was appointed as an aide to him who played the same role like he did when he was in Warri South West L.G.A.
After serving as an Executive P.A. to Barr. Kingsley Otuaro, then in DESOPADEC as a good boy by giving accurate informations from the government to the Creek leadership, he was considerd good enough to work with the Deputy Governor as an Executive P.A.
Hon. Emomotimi Gbuwor like Hon. Frank Omare has a political followership that does not connect to the grass root, but he heavily relies on the politics of God fatherism. Gbuwor’s political permutation is anchored on the premise that the Deputy Governor will deliver him as the PDP candidate using the instrumentality of the power brokers in the Ijaw and Itsekiri power bloc.
From our findings so far, the electorates in the Warri South West Constituency believes that H.on. Emomotimi Gbuwor is only good at playing the role of an errand boy where he takes order and implement it to the letter. The consitituents and relevant stake holders asserted that Gbuwor lacks the democratics ideals to effectively hamprnize the legislative assignment and duties as a member in the Delta State of Assembly.
Hon. Sheriff Mulade though appears to be a private candidate is one of the most promising aspirants in the race for the Warri South West Constituency into the Delta State House of Assembly come 2019. Significantly, Comr. Sheriff Mulade is a good bridge builder who can.
better represent the interest of the two power bloc based on the fact that he has been proven his
mettle as a detribalized Nigerian in the conduct of the affairs of the Centre for Environmental
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Peace and Africa Justice (CEPEJ).
Curiously too, he is a good politician who has cut his teeth having worked in the political turf from the rank and file to the current enviable position where his advantagiously placed to take a shot at the State House of Assembly. As a peace ambassador, Comr. Sheriff Mulade has a towering political profile with unimaginable an ever growing grass root supporters from both the Ijaw and Itsekiri axis. Without any iota of doubt, Mulade cuts across the two ethnic nationalities in all realm of imagination both in words and actions.
Comr. Mulade in more ways than one is considerd as a candidate thrown up by nature to take over the mantle of leadership for the benefit of all stake holders who believes so much in his political philosophy of inclusive representation.
Sheriff Mulade who is widely known as a man who abhors the politics of stomach infrastructures, and out to use his contacts from CEPEJ to deepen the roots of democracy by contributing to the process of making meaningful and robust laws in the state House of Assembly and also to use his versatality and requisite knowledge to influence dividends of democracy in form of consistency projects across the nooks and crannies of Warri South West Consistency.
Without missing words, Comr. Sheriff Mulade who is a certified nonviolence trainer and peace studies from the University of Rhoderland USA stands miles away from the packs on parade for the seat of the Warri South West Consistency in the Delta State House of Assembly. As a global citizen, Sheriff Mulade is oriented and grounded as a seasoned diplomat that cut across the African continental shelf. No doubt, the people are aware that his enthronement as a member of the State House of Assembly will be a mandate that will turn their lots and fortunes positively forever. Reliable information at our disposal hinted that the people are rooted in the project Mulade must win even without demanding for any form of financial gratification because of the pedigree of his performance and’ their belief in his capacity to deliver to them the diligence of democracy if the mandate is given to him.
PAUL BEBENIMIBO: This is another aspirant also gunning for the DTHA from Warri South West Constituency. He is believed to be in the good books of the power brokers having served as the spokesman to the strong man Chief Government Ekepemupolo aka Tompolo, the onetime popular camp five ‘Generalissimo’ of Niger Delta freedom fighters of the Goodluck Jonathan era.
Having played the role of a good errand boy, he became a media consultant to Chief Government Ekpomupolo (aka Tompolo) a job that he did to the satisfaction of his master. Owing to some differences in that power bloc Bebenimobo is perceived to be sponsored by some of the people in the corridors of power to checkmate some persons they considered over ambitious. Actually, this is not the first time Paul Bebenimibo has been proposed to be in the House, unfortunately, he could not come out boldly then to actualize the mission even though the form was bought for him by friends because of image problem.
Now they still want to pursue that dream that was scuttled due to their political naivety. Although he is presumed to be in the good books of the deputy Governor, he may have to contend with some forces to be able to break even. Right now , there is displeasure in the ranks of the old camp five leadership between Paul Bebenimibo and Emomotimi Gbuwor since the house that is divided against itself must fall, he may not go too far in the race reason being that the war lords are yet to decide on who the lots will fall on.
