How Oborevwori Retained His Job As Speaker Against ‘Inner Circle Gang Up’

Fresh facts have emerged about the horse trading that took place before the emergence of Rt. Hon Sheriff Oborevwori as 7th Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly.

BIGPEN Online gathered that the odds against Oborevwori were much but his job was saved by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and former Governor James Ibori whose daughter was reportedly eying the seat. The intervention of the duo saved the Speaker from losing the seat to power play by his colleagues.

It was learnt that more than half of the returning lawmakers didn’t want Oborevwori back as Speaker and were heavily pushing to ensure he never emerged until the last minutes to decision time when Ibori, nay Governor Ifeanyi Okowa stepped in.

Dependable sources disclosed that it was not just Ibori’s daughter that was scheming to dislodge Oborevwori, the House’s Majority Leader, Hon. Tim Owhefere who had guided Oborevwori when he first assumed Speakership as a neophyte was also eying the job.

It was gathered that Owhefere and a few others were actually behind the recent leaking of the financial misappropriation scandal which was secretly rocking the 6th State House of Assembly in which Oborevwori was accused.

Dependable sources from Government House confided in this medium that Governor Okowa’s touted ‘father of Government’, Prof Sam Oyovbaire was among those who were mounting intense pressure on the governor to have Oborevwori changed as Speaker.

Oyovbaire, it was gathered, had vehemently stood against Oborevwori’s second coming as Speaker owing to the latter’s 2023 governorship ambition. Oyovbaire is said to be preparing another person to take over from Okowa after this second term.

While some sources claim that Oborevwori may have exploited his relationship with Ibori to save his job, others suggest that Governor Okowa is not the type that bows to such egocentric pressure, maintaining that the governor had insisted on Oborevwori speakership right from when he started his second tenure electioneering campaign process.

“Some people may think it was Ibori who saved Oborevwori but the truth is that Okowa did. Governor Okowa does not bow to such pressure and attack against an individual particularly when he knows the person has not done his government anything wrong to warrant such opposition. Some people just want Oborevwori out to please their egos but the governor said no, and insisted on him against all odds.

“If you recall people were calling for the head of Chiedu Ebie over the “Success saga” but the guy was one of the best in the government and the governor knows people were just trying to capitalize on the issue to run the man down. So instead of bowing to their inordinate desire, the Governor rewarded him by making him Secretary to the State Government, the engine room of the government. Even Ukah, the attacks on him were enormous. Even within the system, they were pushing for him to be flushed out but Okowa looks beyond your weakness and would not give in to such pressures. Okowa is very firm and fully in control of his government, so just forget all those stories you hear about people lobbying or mounting pressure on him to do their wish, you cannot railroad Okowa, he will just demystify you”.

“If you are mounting pressure on Okowa because of one person and stylishly trying to rubbish somebody before him to pave way for yourself, he will just listen to you and say okay  but he will never dignify you with your inordinate quest; he will do what he thinks is best and that’s what happened about Oborevwori’s re-emergence”, our source said.