It started as an idle beer parlouror taxi- cab gist that inthe womb of time, some ‘Dark Horse’ (a term meaning that it was deemed unlikely), would emerge on the politicallandscapeof the vibrant Delta politics,whose ‘un-heralded’ entry it seemed to the suffocatingarmada of billboardsand posters, all jockeying forthe plum job in2015.
When such an entry occurs, it might well either cause an upset for thetrumpeted, settledgrand-masters of thehardcore and uncompromising optimists among the professionalpolitical class or create an equivalentof a politicalearthquake whenthe Horse, who they did not see coming, finally and quietly emerges to the glory of God.
In my previous series from my seemingly propheticcrystal-ball on the 2015 Delta gubernatorial gladiators, I had always played or toyed with the idea of some dark horses from theblues that could determine the new directionof politicsin Delta State.
For a state that had sought accommodation with the church inthe past 15 years, a state that had transited from the‘Big Heart’ to the ‘Finger of God’, it had been tagged a praying state, every power-seeking politician has routinely offeredthanks and sought the face of Godfor blessings and favour.
Last Sunday, Yours Truly was among thousands invited to Agbor, exactly at St. John’s Catholic Church, along that sloping old Benin-Agbor road that criss-crosses a landmark bridgehanging over theOrogodo River where perennial floods usuallyoverflow its banks and make theroad impassable during therainy seasons but thank Godfor most clement conditions on that day!
It is an age-old church with history and tradition that had served the peopleof Agbor for many decades. That includes one of their sons, Mr. Tony Chuks Obuh, from Oki in Agbor Ancient Kingdom, where therevered traditional ruler, a hereditary title from his father, theDein of Agbor, His Royal Majesty, Obi Kiagbokuzi, Ikenchunkwu I, DeinOf Agbor Knigdomreigns supreme. Tony Obuh after serving bothin Bendel and Delta states for32 years had voluntarily retired from the Delta State Civil Service as Permanent Secretary, Government House and Protocol, with his head high on his shoulders.
The thanksgiving was to celebrate his successfulretirement in good health but midway into the service, the Reverend Father, Joseph Ugboh prayed to thewatching Heavens that: “Bless, Tony Obuh, Father that one day, he will be Governor of this state.”
For many Agbor indigenes,it was a perfect and proudhome-coming forone of their own. They savoured it to thefullest: men, women and little children, theold and young, including pregnant women, all salivated in theambiance of thethanksgiving.
The who-is-who inDelta politics,especially, the establishment shakers and movers of the currentadministration were there and ostensibly, they had assembled in such large numbers as indicative of the systemic support to an outgoing member of the present government to thank Godfor 32 years meritorious service and realize his post-retirement dreams.
There was theGovernor’s spiritual pillarof support in Deaconess Roli Nere Uduaghan,seated resplendentlynext to theSecretary to State Government, Comrade Ovuozourie Macaulay, the government was adequately represented at thethanksgiving .
Other dignitariesat the church were the PDP Chairman, Barrister Peter Nwaoboshi, whose eyes are still fixed to the Red Chamber in Abuja- the Senate; I saw the Speaker of theDTHA, Rt. Hon. Peter Onwusanya, his Deputy, Rt. Hon. BasilGanagana; two prominent faces I also saw were Dr. Festus Okubor and Chief Paulinus Akpeki, bothof them also had their eyes on 2015.
Chief Akpeki, Commissioner forHousing from Sapeleand Dr. Okubor, an Ika Son are believed to be looking forward to 2015 but who really knows?. Others I saw in theHouse of God included Chief Ighoyota Amori, Senior Political Adviser to Governor Uduaghan and a formidable politician from theCentral Senatorial District, Chief Monday Igbuya, Majority Leader of theState Assembly and to mention one of theearliest supporters of Anthony Obuh’s initiative to throw inhis hat into the2015 gubernatorial ‘rumble’ and one of the old war horses of the Nigeria-Biafra civil war,[ 1967-70], he is Brigadier-General Alabi Isama (rtd), leader of the Izu Anioma politicalpressure group’ he was the Chairman of thereception after thechurch service at the Government Field, Agbor.
I also saw in thecrowded church, the ‘foot soldiers’ of thePDP government, I mean the caretaker councilchairmen from the25 local governments, women groups and youths, past and present civil service gurus, former Heads of service and many officialsof the government all came to celebrate with one of theirown in Anthony ChuksObuh.
The metamorphosis of Tony Obuh from thebureaucracy, seems, to me, to mark the beginningof a new marriage between the hitherto taciturn civil service operatives (so to speak) and the politicalclass ina symbiotic relationship where it becomes difficultto draw a distinctline but see thelinkage between politicians and civil servants.
As such, it was no surprise to see myriad support/acknowledgment of Obuh across the state, singing and echoing the Obuh story so far, which had gradually coalesced into what one might call ‘OBUH-ISM’, a metaphor for theObuh dream, vision, sermon and all what he symbolizes.
For a former hardcore civil servant whose humility had become service personified, many observers are waiting to see when he would declare openly for the2015 governorship race, which when it comes, theirdreams of continuityfor a greater Delta would begin.
Out of thechurch, one moved over to theGovernment field which had been canopied forthe reception. The crowd there made the one in thechurch look like a small classroom; out there was more of a carnival-like atmospherics with a live band from Warri, owned by a young Warri-based businesstycoon
in Ayeri Emami, a Chief of theOlu of Warri Kingdom,Ogiame Atuwatse. He was the first convener of the‘Obuh for Governor’ campaign and held the first meeting inthe Asaba home of the Commissioner for Special Duties, Chief Tony Nwaka, PH.D.
At thereception grounds sprawling with the ‘Obuh Crowd’ from all the senatorial districtsof the state, themasters of ceremony announced thefollowinggroups: Delta En masse for Tony Obuh, One Belle group, Love Your Neighbor dancing group, Progressive Initiative, Delta United for Obuh, Egbema Progressive Assembly from Warri North LGA, Consolidation Agendafor Tony Obuh and Delta Central Youths forTony Obuh.
When theChairman, Alabi Isama mounted therostrum, he spoke and prayed for Brother Tony in this vein: “Today’s bright weather is an indication of what the celebrant is likely to reap in his total desires for theimmediate future. I am praying that as a proud son of IKa Ethnic nationality and thelarger Anioma people, may God continue to guard and guide you throughout your ambition to become theGovernor in2015.
I have no doubt that with your exceptional qualities as a retired permanent secretary, after serving meritoriously for32 years in both Bendel and Delta states, Godalmighty will crown your efforts with resoundingsuccess inthe coming 2015 governorship elections. We are solidly behindyou, Tony Chuks Obuh, go and win themost coveted gubernatorial baton from theincumbent Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan. Godbless Delta State and the Anioma people.”
It was not act of mere coincidence but divinely arranged platform fortwo great sons of Delta State to opine and file behindTony Chuks Obuh in Agbor last Sunday as another top member of theDelta State Government, SSG Macaulay, who a few months ago had been misquoted by some miscreant reporter to the effect that Comrade Macaulay had expressedsome reservations about an Anioma son as Governor in 2015, as he drew some anger (due to that misguided report) from theretired Alabi Isama, leader of theIzu Anioma, threatening and giving some ultimatum to thewell-grounded Comrade Macaulay to retract whatever was the misgivings coming from him with regard to 2015. But last Sunday, bothwere on the same page,leaving that reporter bitinghis fingers
Comrade Ovuouzourie Macaulay laidthe ghost to rest, as it were, in Agbor whenhe eloquentlyand unequivocally said that having worked with Tony Obuh over the years, he found him eminently qualified as he had served the state so well that he could manage the complexnature of Delta if given theopportunity to govern it in 2015.
Comrade Macaulay said further: “Tony Obuh always carried out his responsibilitieswith smiles on his face and I can vouch that he is someone we can trust with great responsibilitieswhile we sleep, he is never tired or complains in theface of daunting pressures.”
The presiding Priest, Rev. Father Joseph Ugboh said that consulting God fora thanksgiving has the opportunity of opening doors forthose who seek his face. From thecrowd and systemic support in an ‘Obuh-mania’ at Agbor exemplifies solidarity, so to speak as it is perhaps, appropriate to assume that the Obuh moving train has won many hearts across the state.
In his response to all the joyous outingat theGovernment field, Agbor, Anthony ChuksObuk had a rare opportunity to showcase his gift,dressed inwhite jumper and shokoto,he stood infront of the large crowd and briefly highlightedwhat appeared to be some snippetsfrom that ‘OBUH-ISM’ sermon.
Hear him: “I feel overwhelmedby the large unprecedented crowd here inAgbor as a showof goodwill and support formy yet-to-be declared ambition to run for the governorship in2015 in Delta State.”
“Having worked for32 years as a humble civil servant and passed through the crucible of the nitty-gritty of good governance and the democratic imperatives of how a government is run successfully inour clime, I can assure you all that after my consultations, I will come out smoking with my blueprint of my core areas of concernto the peopleof Delta state.”
“From my vantage positionscriss- crossing several ministriesand departments of government, I realize that we have large cultivatable lands around us which could stand us ingood stead, if properly harnessed, to bailus out through Delta Beyond Oil to a buoyant economy.”
Somethingthat sometimes worries me is the large pool of the youth population in Delta State and how to redirecttheir curriculum inTechnical Collegeswhere they could sharpen their skills and professionaltouch forpurposes of self- recruitment and survival ina societythat is more ICT-driven and self- employment driven. He thankedall those who had come from far and near to partake in his moment of glory and thanksgiving to God forsparing his lifein thepast 32 years. “And as I stand here today, I am inthe job market and ready to serve the state ina more challenging capacity to impact on the lives of thepeople of Delta State.”
And inthe background, there were shouts of ‘Tony Obuh, Carry Go with 2015 electionsas Governor’. It was as euphoricas that all over theAgbor Government field, it was all showering praises and goodwill messagesto Tony Obuh.
But beyond theeuphoria forthe penetrating ‘Obuh-ism’, one must quickly add that with the coming of an Obuh contending for2015. I want to remind us as a systemic observer over thepast few years, what thehard-boiled civil servant in Tony Obuh, the ‘Man of the Moment’ told thecrowd inAgbor at the reception grounds.
The Anioma state stakeholders, traditional rulers from Delta North, Youth groups across theAnioma politicalstage shouldmove in and re-strategize and possibly prune down the avalanche of over 15 or so contenders from theruling party to dowse whatever cracks or flares that might erupt into an unquenchablepolitical infernoand break thePDP Umbrella down themiddle, Godforbids.
We must guardagainst dividingtheruling party and unwittingly driving some top contenders, who shouldnever jump the PDP boat into another waiting oppositionferry which may not carry them too far inthe contention for the top governorship post in 2015.
There is no doubt that thePDP inDelta State is solid like the Rock of Gibraltar or Olumo Rock of Abeokuta. Any complacency in politicsmight be too dangerous to contemplate. God is the ultimate giver of power on Earth, so the Men of God had proclaimed. And like I will always say, if the‘Obuhism Sermon’ has been bought into by a majority of thepeople inDelta and the ‘systemic system’ and if it be the righteousway to go, let thebest and divinely-propelled contender prevail. Amen!
“I am still consulting”, so said Tony Obuh in that unforgettable Agbor gathering. And to roundoff my piece on the Obuh-mania which has become viral in thepoliticalcircles inDelta, one would want to remind our politicians on what Governor Uduaghan said at the 23rd anniversary of thecreation of Delta thanksgiving at the Anglican Cathedral inAsaba, saying that: “I can see most of the governorship contestants in thechurch today.
In 2007, I was disqualifiedin Port Harcourt by the screening officersbut God up-turned the Port Harcourt decision inAbuja and I was cleared to contest and I won. In 2015, it is not by power, money or beauty that one can become Governor in Delta State. If God does not approve of your candidacy, there is nothingyou can do about it.” It was a bold and true statement of fact by an incumbent governor.
I also wish to recall in another arena at the Government House Press Centre in Asaba whenhe hosted the media to brief them on sundry issues. Respondingto my question, he made it clear he was not clamping down on the polity; that was a few monthsago. Hear him: “If any contender or politician is gathering weapons of selective or collective destruction to cause mayhem over the2015 elections,he may not have theopportunity to usethose weapons.”
It can only come from a Man who has seen it all, survived militancy in theWarri axis and survived three governorship electionsduring his eight-year tenure coming to a close on May 2015; I thinkwe shouldlistento him and be security-abiding: Peace and Security is his middlename with all what he has done in that area, showingcrime theway out.
I believe he can midwifea peaceful transition to thenext anchor Man who would further pilot thestate beyond oil and further nurture the beautiful triplets- the Three-Point Agenda.

Thanks for this long political sermon, but I can assure u dat dis Tony Obuh will not be d nxt governor of delta state. And its even a probability dat d president will anoint any one from delta north 2 run under d umbrella. *Factfromasovilla*

Alexcollins: Thanks for this long political sermon, but I can assure u dat dis Tony Obuh will not be d nxt governor of delta state. And its even a probability dat d president will anoint any one from delta north 2 run under d umbrella. *Factfromasovilla*

who's ur choice? #Personalopinion

Malcolmx12: who's ur choice? #Personalopinion

my choice from delta north is Prof sylvester monye, while from delta central will be Senator Agwariavwodo. While I assure u one of dis two will be d nxt governor. *fact from aso villa*.