ASABA – Fmr. Delta State House Of Assembly Speaker, Rt. Hon Engr. Victor Ochei, has declared that Delta North should not be treated as a family inheritance, alleging that former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is attempting to maintain overwhelming influence over the political affairs of the senatorial district.
Ochei, who recently resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), said his decision to contest the Delta North Senatorial seat was not driven by personal ambition but by the need to challenge what he described as political impunity and protect the interests of the people.
Speaking during an interview, the former lawmaker maintained that the contest was about the future of Delta North and ensuring that political opportunities remain open to all qualified citizens.
“I’m contesting the Senate not because I actually wanted to, but somebody needs to challenge this impunity. So, it’s not about me, it’s about Delta North people,” he said.
Ochei disclosed that he formally resigned from the APC on May 9 and has since stayed away from the party’s activities.
He further claimed that Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, contacted him and urged him not to contest against Okowa.
According to Ochei, he declined the request, insisting that Delta North people deserved a broader political space.
“The governor called me that I should not run against Okowa, and I told him, how can Okowa be contesting, his daughter is contesting and he’s still bringing his in-law? That is an insult to the collective intelligence of the people of Delta North and I won’t allow it,” he said.
Ochei further alleged that Governor Oborevwori later sought to know what could make him reconsider his position, but he insisted that no political arrangement would change his resolve.
“He asked what I wanted to persuade me and I said there is nothing you can give me. So it’s not about Ochei, it’s about Delta North,” he added.
The former Speaker also dismissed suggestions that financial resources would determine the outcome of the senatorial race.
Drawing from his experience during the 2014 governorship primary election, Ochei argued that electoral success is not always tied to the amount of money spent on campaigns.
“He may have the money to spend, he has access to state funds, but he should know that if money gives power, he wouldn’t have become governor in 2015. The kind of money I had then, Okowa has not seen. I outspent him during the primaries but at the end he emerged,” he claimed.
Ochei said his campaign would focus on preserving a political environment where individuals from humble backgrounds can still aspire to public office.
“I was the son of a nobody when I contested and I won. The system allowed it, but today they are destroying that system that helped them. I want to break that barrier and give young people a chance to aspire,” he stated.
He also alleged that despite occupying several strategic public offices over the years, Okowa has continued to wield significant influence in the state’s political landscape.
“People made Okowa governor, he chased all of them away and now he made somebody governor, he doesn’t want the person to breathe. Everything is still about him. That’s not supposed to be so,” Ochei said.
The former lawmaker noted that after serving as councillor, local government chairman, commissioner, Secretary to the State Government, senator, governor and vice-presidential candidate, Okowa should allow a new generation of leaders to emerge.
“God has blessed him — councillor to chairman to commissioner to SSG to senator to governor and even vice-presidential candidate. What else do you want? It is better to leave the stage when the ovation is loudest,” he said.
Ochei reiterated that his senatorial ambition is aimed at safeguarding democratic participation in Delta North and ensuring that leadership opportunities remain accessible to all.