By Akporero Henry Akpos
As the 2023 elections draw closer, one matter that is causing a huge headache but yet to be attended to is the dilemma that faces Okpe Nation in Delta State as to who they should support with two top Okpe sons gunning for Governorship and Senate respectively.
On one hand, there is the current speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori who is the Governorship Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, while on the other, you have prominent Okpe son Chief Ede Dafinone, an offspring of late okpe Custodian, Chief D. O. D Dafinone and Senatorial Candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for Delta Central.
It is no secret that for years the Okpe nation have yearned to produce the next Governor of Delta State having waited in line for decades with Ethiope Federal Constituency and Ughelli haven produced Governors in Chief James Ibori and Olorogun Felix Ibru respectively.
Fortune have smiled on Okpe people with Sheriff Oborevwori as a Governorship Candidate, a prayer even the Orodje of okpe had not shied away from revealing countless number of times.
For some, Ede Dafinone represents the best choice to replace the outgoing DSP Ovie Omo-Agege for Senate due to his hugely impressive resume and track record of empowering hundreds through his Dafinone Foundation birthed over a decade ago.
Suffice to say that the situation is a bit tricky as supporters of Oborevwori from Okpe will want to prove their loyalty by voting along party lines and delivering seasoned veteran Chief Ighoyota Amori from Ethiope West as Senator, after all party is Supreme and according to Oborevwori, “For Equity sake, Okpe cannot get both”, and must drop the Senatorial seat in other to clinch the Governorship position in 2023, while supporters of Dafinone would want to queue behind Senator Ovie Omo-Agege for Governor to prove their allegiance to the APC.
Who should the Okpe nation support? Can they get both or should they forego one for the other? Can they actually vote along ethnic lines and jettison their political parties?
No doubt this scenario will be a subject of debate within the months leading to the polls, but how will a nation that had craved popularity and decried years of alleged malignment, but presented with two fantastic opportunities to cease enormous power decide on the way to go?
The Dafinone dynasty that has become so synonymous with the Okpe people all over the world, will the people reject one of their most illustrious sons for the sake of the bigger seat which is the seat of Governorship?
For Oborevwori, equity demands that the Okpe people relinquish Senate and take Governorship which a sect have adopted, but for some, Chief Ede Dafinone has done no wrong and has placed Okpe on the map with his family name etched in the Guinness book of records, what a feat….
With social media set alight by members from both divide and arguments ensuing by the day, 2023 presents a great opportunity for the Okpe people, but it is one they must thread with caution to avoid losing both.
Sheriff Oborevwori for Governor, Ede Dafinone for Senate, two juicy positions that every tribe must salivate and jump on, but one so trivial that could shape the course of history and obliterate the norm going forward.
Okpe Nation have it all to do in 2023 and must carefully consider their decision for a blessing not to turn into a nightmare that will utter the course of her future.
