In the last seven days, the Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori’s administration in Delta State was taken to the cleaners following a viral video of a former governor of the state, Chief James Onanefe Ibori, lamenting over the State and perhaps the composition of the cabinet.
Chief Ibori in the viral video during a book launch, an autobiography of Chief Clement Ofuani, a one-time Commissioner for Economic Planning in in State, Senior Special Assistant to ex-President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and pioneer Director General, Delta State Capital Territory Development Agency at Orchid Hotel in Asaba, the State capital on Thursday April 2024, lamented thus: “Don’t cry for me Delta.
“Haven listen to the very brilliant presentations by our young men, you begin to wonder and say to yourself, Delta O Delta! Delta O Delta!!
Ibori’s lamentation is suggestive of a State government that falls bellow expectations.
In the viral video, the former governor said: “Don’t cry to me Delta. Haven listen to this brilliant presentation by our young men, you begin to wonder and say to yourself, Delta O Delta! Delta O Delta!!
“In governance and in public office, when you are in trouble, you seek help.
“Don’t be ashame to do so. You ask from people that you believe in.
“In fact, in your cabinet, you put people that you believe know more than you do so your debate in cabinet will be robust.
“That is my own view of governance”, he said.
However, rattled by the viral video, the State government rather than accept its defect and bras up to the challenges, said, “preparing the younger generation to take over core leadership roles in governance was dear to the heart of governor Sheriff Oborevwori”.
The Executive Assistant (EA) Communications cum Chief Executive Officer of Delta State Orientation Bureau, DSOB, Barrister Latimore Oghenesivbe, “who obviously was reacting to the statement made by the former governor of the state, Chief James Ibori, wherein he publicly criticized the composition of the state cabinet, in his writeup titled: “Oborevwori Cabinet Robust, Delta Making Steady Progress with a rider … advises Chief Ibori to partner Oborevwori, support MORE Agenda”, said there are well known super technocrats in the state executive council saddled with the responsibility of mentoring the younger members of cabinet to become effective leaders of tomorrow”.
Not satisfied with the outcome of Latimore’s response to Ibori, the government through the Senior Special Assistant, Fred Edoreh, who was media manager to Ibori’s political godson, Olorogun David Edevbie, governorship aspirant of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), in the 2023 election, in an article titled; “Ibori, Delta And The Parable Of The Cow”, wrote thus “On judgment day at the London court, the Crown Prosecution Service Lawyer, Sasha Wass, told Judge Anthony Pitts that former Delta State Governor, Chief James Ibori, had pleaded guilty to the 10-count charge of money laundering and accepted the entirety of the prosecution’s case against him. They concluded their case on that note, and the sentence was subsequently made”.
Also unfulfilled with the writeup, a political pressure group in a statement tagged; ‘“GOVERNOR SHERIFF OBOREVWORI IS DUTIFULLY AND FIRMLY IN CHARGE OF DELTA STATE. A MESSAGE TO FORMER GOVERNOR, CHIEF JAMES ONANEFE IBORI BY INTEGRITY GROUP OF DELTA STATE signed by
Dr Oke Idawene, the sacked Chairman of the State Social Democratic Party (SDP), “dismissed Ibori’s claim as baseless and said he was bitter and pained, since Oborevwori defeated his preferred candidate, Olorogun David Edevbie in the 2023 Delta governorship elections”.
Ibori’s viral video has further cemented the ads which says “if no be Panadol, e no go fit be like Panadol”.
It would be recall that The Story, had reported that former Delta State Governor, Chief James Onanefe Ibori may have been inundated with calls on the style of governance and quality of men that makes up the cabinet of Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori.
Stay with us as we bring more reactions from Ibori’s viral video your way.
