OPINION
OPINION: OCHEI’S DEBATE CHALLENGE IS STILL OKOWA’S SHOW, BY NORBERT CHIAZOR
By Dr. Norbert Chiazor
Predictably, Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei has developed a curious campaign pattern that amplifies growing public doubts about his strategic direction in the 2027 Delta North senatorial race.
A persistent unhealthy focus on Dr. Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, the Delta North APC senatorial candidate. Every time Ochei takes the microphone, Okowa becomes his sing-song. Everywhere- from town to television, his sound bites remain monotonous.
Recently, Ochei, NDC senatorial candidate, went to Kwale on a campaign tour. Yet, his major subject in Ndokwa was not OK but Okowa!
Speaking in innuendos, Ochei challenged Okowa to come forward for a public debate, on their respective records and capacity to address the development challenges of Delta North.
Ochei’s audience- members and leaders of the Ndokwa Neku Union (NNU), may well have been surprised by his gauntlet to the former governor.
Addressing the people of Nsukwa clan few days ago, Ochei again in a fit of fury, railed incessantly against Okowa for what he described as “abandonment” of the area when he served as governor.
This seems Ochei’s unkindest cut.
One of the most outstanding infrastructural interventions of Okowa as governor, specially benefits Nsukwa clan: the Nsukwa/Ejeme Aniogor/Alidinma road. The expansive road runs through four local government areas- Aniocha South, Ndokwa west, Ika South and Ika North east. Okowa’s timeless signature in the heart of thousands of people.
Even driving through that smooth road could not soothe Ochei’s nerves! What, then, would appease his insatiable anger?
There is something rather troubling about this rolling rage, which has become increasingly conspicuous since the NDC candidate entered the political contest.
Here lies a familiar tale.
Suddenly, in the senatorial contest, Delta North now seems to have its own Amalinze, the legendary wrestler in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart. That character, who prances in restless strength with an illusion of invincibility. Yet, time would eventually expose the limits of such confidence, in comical crescendo. He was floored!
Yet, for a man known for his measured gait, Okowa will not wrestle with anyone. A man configured to stand has no reason to stoop. A veteran of battles. A winner of wars. He has nothing to prove.
He has repeatedly expressed his willingness to subject every era of his public service to scrutiny. There is nothing opaque about his public record. He believes that his decisions and stewardship are legitimate subjects of public examination.
Nevertheless, the demand for accountability should never become a licence for personalized attacks. Who speaks more eloquently than Okowa? He has never shied away from political debate. But a seasoned pugilist knows better than to enter a fake boxing ring, especially one built on obsessive theatrics.
As 2027 draws closer, Okowa is ready, his eyes set on the hills, determined to win, by divine grace, unmindful of distractions, whether debates or diatribes.
He deserves a seat in the Senate.
His credentials as an accomplished public officer and gentleman are evident. In multi-ethnic Delta, his gubernatorial legacies- from stadiums to multiple universities, roads to bridges, empowerment initiatives to job creation, peace-building to social cohesion, are too extensive to enumerate.
Okowa is bold without being loud. Neither boisterous nor boastful. He is quiet and mannerly, emblematic of a cultured gentleman.
That temperament has been reflected in his campaign: persuasive and suave.
Other senatorial candidates should imbibe Okowa’s approach. Speak to issues, not insults.
Vitriol does not win votes. Abuses do not count at the ballot box.
Beyond debate rhetoric and campaign stunts, voters deserve a clearly defined agenda. The hyperbolic claims surrounding what Ochei intends to accomplish as a senator often invite more questions than answers. He hopes to enter the Red chambers as a “lion”, an image he claims no previous Delta North senator has ever embodied.
At this defining moment, when the collective focus is on FORWARD ANIOMA, the senatorial district does not need political drama reminiscent of Simba in the playful Pride Lands of Mufasa. Delta North is fatigued by vague buzzwords and vacuous epithets.
What it needs is purposeful representation and strategic engagement,
which Okowa symbolizes with his experience, competence and charisma.
The choice before Anioma is not about who can roar the loudest, but who can offer the clout and character required to advance our collective aspirations.
Anioma does not need a lion but a scion.
Norbert Chiazor (PhD), is a mass communication scholar and public affairs analyst
4 November 2026
