The recent endorsement of Senator Ifeanyi Okowa for another shot at the Delta North Senate seat by the Chairman of the Integrity Group of Nigeria, Delta State Chapter, Comrade (Dr) Martin Nwachukwu Bolum, accompanied by a much-advertised list of “120 reasons” why the former governor should return to the Senate, is as unconvincing as it is politically predictable.

One hundred and twenty reasons may appear impressive in length, but length is not evidence of performance, and repetition cannot become achievement merely by enumeration.

Governance is not measured by how many bullet points political sympathisers can assemble. It is measured by impact, value for money, equitable development and accountability.

Nobody disputes that an administration which controlled the machinery and resources of Delta State for eight years built roads, renovated schools and executed projects. That is the minimum expected of any government.

The real question is whether those projects justified the enormous public resources available to Delta State between 2015 and 2023.

You cannot simply list the construction of a road as an achievement without asking what it cost, the quality of construction and its condition today. Neither can empowerment be measured by counting sewing machines, motorcycles, tricycles and starter packs without determining how many beneficiaries were sustainably lifted into economic independence.

Worse still, splitting related programmes into multiple bullet points to arrive at an intimidating “120 reasons” does not transform political publicity into an objective performance audit.

If Okowa’s record truly “speaks for itself,” as the Integrity Group claims, then let that record answer the harder questions.

How much came into Delta State? How much was borrowed? What was spent? Where was it spent? And what enduring value remains today?

Those questions cannot be buried beneath 120 bullet points.

OKOWA’S EIGHT YEARS: FOLLOW THE MONEY

Accountability Cannot Be Replaced With Achievement Lists

The Integrity Group wants the people of Delta North to judge Senator Okowa by his eight years as Governor of Delta State.

Excellent.

Then let us examine the whole record, not merely the politically convenient portions of it.

Instead of bombarding Deltans with 120 supposedly spectacular achievements, the Integrity Group should demand answers to the legitimate accountability questions arising from eight years of managing the resources of one of Nigeria’s major oil-producing states.

What was Delta State’s total revenue between 2015 and 2023?

How much internally generated revenue accrued during those eight years, and what measurable outcomes did it produce?

How much did the administration borrow? What projects were financed from those borrowings, and what liabilities were left behind?

What resources accrued under the 13 per cent derivation framework and through DESOPADEC, and what measurable development did the oil-producing communities receive?

What federal refunds and other exceptional receipts came to Delta State during the period, and how were they appropriated and utilised?

These are not insults. Neither are they propaganda.

They are legitimate questions of public accountability that require figures, audited accounts and verifiable public records not political applause.

Then there is the celebrated “Road Master” narrative.

A road does not become successful simply because politicians commissioned it amid fanfare. Its true testimony is its durability and the value it delivers to the people.

Where roads have deteriorated prematurely, taxpayers have every right to ask:
What did they cost?
What specifications were approved? What quality was delivered? And did Delta State obtain value for its money?

That is accountability.

If the Integrity Group wants a debate about Okowa’s record and experience, Victor Ochei and the people of Delta North should welcome it.

But experience must come with receipts.

The people cannot be asked to celebrate expenditure without interrogating outcomes.

And beyond the questions of money and projects lies an even more fundamental issue that no compilation of 120 reasons can wish away.

DELTA NORTH IS NOT A FAMILY POLITICAL ESTATE

Experience Must Not Become Entitlement

Senator Ifeanyi Okowa has every right to be proud of his Ika heritage.

What he does not have is a permanent political title deed over Delta North.

That distinction lies at the heart of Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei’s challenge to the old political order.

Okowa has had an extraordinary run in public office local government chairman, commissioner, Secretary to the State Government, senator, two-term governor and vice-presidential candidate.

Few politicians anywhere in Nigeria have enjoyed such extensive opportunities for public service.

The question Delta North must therefore confront is simple:

Must the political future of an entire senatorial district continue to revolve around one man and the political establishment surrounding him?

The Integrity Group calls it “experience and continuity.”

Many others may reasonably see political recycling and entitlement.

Where questions have been raised about the concentration and geographical distribution of projects, institutions and political influence, the appropriate response is not name-calling.

Bring the evidence.

Publish the figures.

Show the distribution of major capital expenditure and public institutions across Delta State and Delta North.

Let the people judge.

This is also why attempts to dismiss Ochei’s challenge as desperation completely miss the point.

Challenging an entrenched political establishment is not desperation.

Demanding that political opportunities remain open to others is not desperation.

Insisting that the democratic ladder remain available to young people, ordinary citizens and those without political godfathers is not desperation.

Experience is an asset. But when experience becomes an argument for perpetual entitlement to political power, democracy must push back.

Delta North belongs to its people.

It is not the inheritance of any individual, family or political establishment.

No endorsement can change that.

No pressure group can inherit the votes of the electorate.

And no politically amplified list of “120 reasons” can substitute for accountability.

The old order has had its opportunities. Delta North must now decide whether 2027 will be another journey into yesterdayor the beginning of a new political direction.

Victor Ochei represents that new direction.

Austin Edemodu, PhD is an Abuja based Journalist and Public Affairs Analyst.