As the clouds of the 2027 general elections begin to gather, Delta State, a key state in Nigeria’s oil-rich Niger Delta region, will be witnessing unprecedented political activities in the coming weeks, as the immediate past governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, is said to have declared interest in the Delta North Senatorial seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), according to sources.
News.ng reports that this new development is expected to create some level of rivalry between the former governor and the sitting senator of the Delta North Senatorial District, Ned Nwoko.
Recall that in January last year, Senator Nwoko resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the ruling APC, and twelve months after the move, the former governor, Okowa, dumped the PDP for the ruling party following the exit of the current governor of the state, Sheriff Oborevwori, from the opposition party.
This has always been the tradition in Nigerian politics, where state governors, after completing their eight-year tenure, prefer to retire to the Senate, while some with higher ambitions opt to run for the presidency.
Typical examples of former governors who decided to remain in politics by going to the Senate include Senator Adams Oshiomhole, a former Governor of Edo State, and former Borno State Governor, Senator Kashim Shettima, now the Vice President.
Others include Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, a former Governor of Bayelsa State, and Senator Gbenga Daniel, a former Governor of Ogun State, among others.
