Ibori: Still in charge of Delta politics

James Ibori, Former Governor of Delta State

By  OBINNA EZUGWU

The 2019 general elections, more than any in recent memory, witnessed the end of many political dynasties. In Imo State, the electorate determinedly ensured that they brought an end to the reign of Governor Rochas Okorocha, the “Emperor of Iberiberism.” In Kwara, the famed “o to ge” movement brought an end to the Saraki dynasty.

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki failed in his bid to return to the upper chamber of the National Assembly, while his governorship candidate also lost out. In Akwa Ibom, Senator Godswill Akpabio is licking his wounds. And in Rivers, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi may have ultimately failed in his bid to impose his candidate as governor.

But there are a few surviving godfathers who are perhaps, even waxing stronger. Former Lagos governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu easily comes to mind in this regard; but there is another, more discreet, largely quiet and probably more effective: James Onanefe Ibori.

 Ibori, the indisputable strong man of Delta State politics is one remembered for all the wrong reasons. He has had one of the most celebrated corruption cases in Nigerian history. Indeed, he was, for a long stretch of time, the face of corruption in the country.

First arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2007, on charges of abuse of office, money laundering and sundry allegations by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration, Ibori would proceed to face series of graft charges and conviction in the UK. In 2010, he was arrested in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, under Interpol arrest warrant issued from the UK courts and enacted from the Metropolitan police.

He was subsequently extradited to the UK in an agreement with the Nigerian government. He was accused of stealing $250 million from Delta state purse. On April 17, 2012, he was sentenced to 13 years by a Southwark Crown Court, with a number of properties linked to him across the UK confiscated.

But under very unusual circumstances, Ibori was released from prison in 2016 following a court order. He had served only four out of the 13 years he was sentenced to.

With several allegations of graft waiting for him in the country, many had expected the anti -corruption posturing administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to seize the former Delta governor upon his arrival in the country. But the Federal government had other plans for the Delta strong man.

He touched down in Abuja from London, and to many people’s surprise, he was accompanied by the Department of State Services (DSS) in grand style. Ibori was home settled with his kit and kin in Delta, and his reign has had no end.

BusinessHallmark would later learn from Aso Rock sources that the government has facilitated his return on the agreement that he will help restore order in the Niger Delta and stop Niger Delta Avengers and other militant groups who were at the time, blowing up pipelines. It is instructive that since Ibori’s return in 2016, blowing of pipelines has seized and the once fire spitting Avengers have almost gone into oblivion. Such is the level of control he has over his people in Delta.

Since his return from the UK, Ibori has largely been out of the picture. No press appearances and very little is heard of him. But even in his silence, his presence speaks ever so loudly in Delta. He is, without a doubt, the godfather of Delta politics, a status he, once again, consolidated on in the recently held governorship election in Delta State.

Those who follow Delta politics would have realised that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had made very significantly inroads in the oil rich Niger Delta State. Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, senator representing Delta Central in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, had established a strong presence in the party and proved a strong Buhari loyalist.

The likes of Great Ogboru, Ortega Emerhor and Prof. Pat Utomi had also joined ranks with the ruling party, and when early last year, Ibori successor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, teamed up with them, it was a final icing on the cake. The musketeers had closed ranks to take on the godfather and Delta was up for the taking.

The incumbent governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was facing a formidable threat. The defection of Uduaghan and a host of others meant he had few people to bank on. Indeed, the other politician of note still with him in the PDP, apart from Ibori, was Senator James Manager of Delta South District.

The others had gathered in the APC in what was perhaps, the Delta version of “Enough is enough.” Great Ogboru, the other Delta strong man who had consistently lost to the Ibori clique was determined to get his pound of flesh. For the umpteenth time, he ran for governorship. This time, under a party in charge at the centre, and certainly, things were looking up.

But to everyone’s surprise, the governorship contest turned out to be a no contest. Okowa beat Ogboru convincingly and he had one man, above all else to thank for his reelection: James Ibori.

“I want to appreciate my leader, former governor James Ibori for his encouragement, support and all he has taught me all through these years,” Okowa posted on his Twitter handle @GovIfeanyiOkowa. Once again, Ibori has proved his mettle. He remains the Alpha male in the Delta pride land.

Ibori is not your typical political godfather. There are perhaps few people, if any, like him in the Nigerian political space. Whilst still in prison in the UK, he called the shots in Delta. It was him who ensured that Dr. Okowa was elected governor in 2014 in the first place. He was in the UK at the time.

Whilst as governor, Ibori invested in people. There is hardly anyone who is somebody in Delta political circle who has, not at one point or the other, benefited from him. And while many have grown to be independent and to pursue their own ambitions, not beholden to him, he remains quite popular in the grassroots, and importantly, among the restive youths.

It is not for nothing that his return from the UK largely brought an end to bombing of oil facilities in Delta and elsewhere.

Ibori remains the strong hand holding peace in Delta, and perhaps, the Federal Government in realisation of this, opted not to push too hard in the state. While the former governor, probably represents the corrupt persona of the county’s political class to many outside the shores of Delta, Ibori remains the hero of his people.