There is something more dangerous than ignorance in politics, and that is deliberate distortion of facts dressed up as wisdom. The kind that hopes people will forget too quickly and accept a rewritten script as truth. But history is stubborn. It does not bend to convenience, and it does not forget those who stood firm when it mattered. So let us walk this road carefully and chronologically, because when facts are laid bare, it becomes clear that the attempt to recast political history in Delta North is not only dishonest but deeply insulting to the intelligence of the people. To begin with, while Senator Ned Nwoko was already serving as a member of the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2003, operating within the inner political circle of the then Governor, Chief James Ibori, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa was still working his way up the ladder, positioning himself for a commissioner role. It is therefore safe to say that at that time, Ned Nwoko did not even operate within the same political orbit as Okowa. One was already seated at the table where decisions were being made, while the other was still seeking entry into the room. You do not claim to have raised a man who had already become a father before you met him.

Okowa’s eventual rise to become a two-term governor of Delta State did not happen in isolation, nor was it a product of personal political magic. It was built on a foundation that many contributed to, but few sacrificed for as deeply as Senator Ned Nwoko did. By 2014, ahead of the 2015 general elections, the political climate in Delta North had reached a decisive moment. The then Asagba of Asaba, His Royal Majesty Professor Chike Edozien, took the historic step of constituting an Anioma think tank with one clear mission to ensure that Anioma would finally produce a governor. At that time, the political structure leaned heavily towards David Edevbie, who was widely regarded as Chief Ibori’s preferred candidate. A series of high-level meetings followed, attended consistently by Senator Ned Nwoko alongside respected figures such as Uche Okpunor, Chief Uzor, and others committed to the Anioma governorship agenda. After careful deliberation, the think tank settled on supporting Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa. Senator Ned Nwoko was placed in charge of mobilizing Aniocha North delegates. On the very day of the primaries, those delegates were gathered at his country home in Idumuje-Ugboko, awaiting his coordination. Then came a moment that would break most men. That same morning, Ned received a call from London — the police informing him that his son had passed away. He died in his sleep, and an autopsy later confirmed heart failure. There are moments in life that test not just strength, but the very soul of a man, and this was one of them. Faced with the choice of abandoning the political process to be with his grieving family or staying back to secure Anioma’s collective aspiration, Ned made a decision that history must never forget. He stayed. He steadied himself, coordinated the delegates, ensured that Okowa emerged victorious at the primaries, and only then travelled to join his family in mourning. Okowa went on to win the governorship election, and Anioma finally produced a governor. That outcome did not come cheap, it was paid for with tough sacrifice and commitment. To now see that same political journey being rewritten is not just unfortunate, it is a betrayal of memory itself. Truly, memory is the first casualty of ambition.

Fast forward to the 2019 elections, and the political atmosphere told its own story. It was common knowledge within Delta political circles that Okowa was not supporting Senator Ned Nwoko’s senatorial ambition. The alignment of forces made it clear that the system had tilted elsewhere. The primaries were anything but fair, and the path ahead for Ned was deliberately made difficult. At that moment, fate placed before him an alternative that many politicians would have embraced without hesitation. He was offered the APC senatorial ticket, backed by strong assurances that would have made his campaign seamless. Financial guarantees, commitments to settle long-standing federal obligations owed to him, and even the promise of a ministerial position should the election not go his way. In a political environment where loyalty is often transactional, this would have been an easy crossing. After all, as they say, in politics there are no permanent friends, only permanent interests. Yet, Senator Ned Nwoko chose the harder road. He understood the fragile political balance of Delta North and recognized that his defection would not just affect him personally but could destabilize the PDP’s hold and potentially cost Anioma its governorship. He weighed personal gain against collective interest and chose the latter. A man who understands where the rain began to beat him knows exactly where to seek shelter. Even when the primaries produced an outcome many regarded as unjust, Ned refused to burn down the house because of a leaking roof. Instead, he collapsed his campaign structure and directed his Director General, Leonard Ogugua Esegbue, to return to the drawing board and design a strategy for supporting Okowa’s re-election. From that moment of sacrifice, Operation Return Okowa (ORO) was born. What followed was a full-scale, well funded political operation. Senator Ned Nwoko funded the movement with over a billion naira, disbursed in tranches of hundreds of millions, a fact that Leonard Esegbue himself can attest to. He funded virtually all the support groups, coordinated grassroots mobilization, and sponsored the movement of market women across the nine local government areas of Delta North, ensuring they followed the PDP campaign train across all twenty-five local government areas of the state. Beyond that, he extended support across key professional and social bodies, making substantial donations to groups such as the NUJ, NUT, and NBA. Notably, he financed the completion of the NBA building in Asaba, donating over N30million, in a bid to secure institutional support for the party’s broader objective. The gesture was not only acknowledged but immortalized, as the building was eventually referenced in his honor upon completion. He was at the center of it all, serving as Vice Chairman of Okowa’s campaign committee, funding support groups, and ensuring that the political machinery delivered results. If loyalty had a face in that election, it was unmistakably his.

The 2023 elections once again tested that same commitment. For the sake of accuracy, it is acknowledged that Okowa contributed $200,000 to Senator Ned Nwoko’s campaign committee, which was received and managed by Pascal Adigwe without interference. But to elevate that gesture as the defining support in a relationship that has seen years of far deeper sacrifice is to reduce a mountain to a molehill. When Okowa pursued the vice-presidential slot, it was Senator Ned Nwoko who opened doors that would have otherwise remained closed. He took him into the corridors of Abuja power, introduced him to key figures within Atiku Abubakar’s camp, connected him with influential personalities such as Jim Nwobodo and other political stakeholders, facilitated engagements with national figures including General Gasau, former NSA, and stood publicly in defense of his ambition, even confronting opposing forces like Nyesom Wike. He went further, accompanying him to Ohanaeze Ndigbo, engaging with leaders such as the late Chief Iwuanyanwu, supporting outreach efforts, and even making financial contributions to strategic groups, including Nollywood actors, to strengthen the campaign. At a time when national acceptance mattered, Ned did not stand behind, he stood in front. To then suggest that Okowa made Ned is an insult to documented reality.

Ned’s commitment remained unquestionable even within the state. On the night of the governorship primaries in support of Sheriff Oborevwori (Okowa’s choice candidate), Senator Ned Nwoko personally moved across three different hotels in Asaba where all delegates, both statutory and adhoc, were lodged, alongside Michael Nwoko and others, spending over $500,000 of his own resources. This was not done at anyone’s request, it was done from conviction and loyalty to a political cause he believed in. Yet, barely three months after being sworn in as Senator, whispers began to circulate that Okowa was already positioning himself to return to the Senate. Instead of allowing space for performance, consolidation, and service, the ground was being prepared for displacement. When Ned approached Okowa with the rumors, the denial came swiftly, assurances were given, promises made, but as time has shown, actions speak louder than words. The same position that should have been supported is now being contested.

It is even more telling that throughout Okowa’s time as governor, Senator Ned Nwoko never sought personal favours, contracts, or projects for himself. His engagements were always centered on development, projects that would benefit Delta State as a whole. Yet even those efforts were met with resistance. Consider the critical projects that could have transformed Delta State’s infrastructure and economic outlook. The step-down of the Okpai power plant, for which Ned moved a motion in the Senate, secured technical costing from the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), and sought state collaboration for funding that would ultimately be recouped, was stalled. Not for lack of merit, but because “approval” never came. The Ogwashi-Uku dam project, initiated during his time in the House of Representatives, met the same fate. The proposed coastal road from Asaba through Oko and Okpai down to Aboh, complete with embankments to address the devastating annual flooding that destroys homes and livelihoods, had to be pushed into the NDDC framework after state-level inaction. The Onicha-Ugbo–Idumuje-Ugboko road followed the same frustrating pattern. Even the Delta State airline initiative, for which Ned Nwoko went as far as bringing in credible investors willing to fund the project, required nothing more than the state government’s backing, yet it quietly died on the table. What should have been a partnership for development was instead reduced to a system where blind loyalty to one individual outweighed the collective interest of an entire state.

That same pattern of control extends into the grassroots. Okowa’s influence over Delta North council chairmen has created an environment where independent decision-making is sacrificed at the altar of allegiance. A striking example is the mini stadium attracted by Senator Ned Nwoko, a project intended to benefit the people directly. It was originally meant to be situated within the Aniocha North secretariat, a fitting and accessible location. Yet the Chairman, Emma Chinye, refused to allocate space, not on technical or administrative grounds, but openly, unapologetically, because of loyalty to Okowa. He made it clear that he could not support a project associated with Ned Nwoko due to political differences with Okowa. That incident says everything. When a public project is rejected not because it lacks value, but because of personal allegiance, then governance has been reduced to something dangerously narrow. It is no longer about service, it becomes about control, about who is permitted to contribute and who must be excluded.

Through all of this, one fact remains consistent, Senator Ned Nwoko never declared war on Okowa. He did not initiate conflict, nor did he engage in political hostility. The strain in that relationship did not come from him. Instead, what unfolded was a steady, deliberate effort to undermine his position as a Senator, an effort that involved both Okowa and Governor Sheriff. It became increasingly difficult to function effectively at the federal level where he is in the opposition, while also facing resistance and quiet opposition from the same political base that should have provided support. At some point, the contradiction becomes unsustainable. That is the context in which Ned made the decision to leave the PDP for the APC, not out of impulse, not out of disloyalty, but out of necessity. Yet Okowa and his team crossed over to APC as well, with the same intent to destabilize and control.

Okowa had the opportunity to step into the role of a statesman, to rise above the immediacy of politics and allow leadership to evolve beyond him. He could have chosen to support continuity, to strengthen institutions, and to create space for others to serve. Because true leadership is not measured by how tightly one holds on to power, but by the ability to build beyond oneself and to step aside when the time calls for it. Senator Ned Nwoko, for his part, did not withhold support when it was needed. He campaigned where he was asked to, even beyond his senatorial district. He went into higher institutions at Okowa’s request, engaging young voters at a time when the political climate was anything but receptive. He campaigned in places like Delta State University, Abraka, territories that were not even his direct political responsibility, because he believed in the collective objective at the time. A man who has consistently invested his time, resources, and political capital for the collective cannot suddenly be reduced to a beneficiary of another’s goodwill.

IF I WERE IFEANYI OKOWA, I WOULD TAKE A BOW AND LEAVE THE STAGE WHILE THE OVATION IS STILL HIGH — STEP DOWN AND SUPPORT SENATOR NED NWOKO IN THE SPIRIT OF TRUE STATEMANSHIP, IF NOT IN REMEMBRANCE OF PAST SACRIFICES.

Okowa should take a cue from Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who, having served as a senator and governor, chose the path of building others, supporting men and women to become senators, ministers, ambassadors, and even vice president. That is the mark of enduring leadership. The discipline to elevate others and strengthen the system beyond oneself.

As our people say, the man who refuses to leave the stage when his part is over risks bringing down the entire performance.