The Major Reason Sheriff Won the Governorship Election in Delta State is the Direct Opposite of the Reason Most Other Nigerian Politicians Fail
If I ask, “Why was Rt. Hon. Sheriff Francis Orhowedor Oborevwori declared the winner in the governorship election of March 18, 2023, in Delta State?” everybody would respond “Because he won the majority number of votes and 21 out of the 25 local government areas of the state.
That is the political reason he won and not the major reason.
The major reason Rt. Hon. Oborewori won the governorship election in Delta State is called the “street reason.”
Another name for “street reason” is “likeability.”
Rt. Hon. Oborewori won the governorship election in Delta State not necessarily because of the number of votes, but because he was the most likeable candidate among all the candidates who vied for the position of governor of Delta State.
If he were not the most likeable, he wouldn’t have scored the highest number of votes, because some of his opponents were ready to do just anything possible for them to win, too.
Yes, you read what I meant.
Likeability is the highest qualification in politics.
Let me explain.
There are three things that one requires to succeed in career, business, and politics.
The three ingredients are:
- Competence;
- Likeability; and
- Luck, for unbelievers; and grace, for believers.
Competence and likeability always deliver grace or luck.
Let me explain further.
When the war between Olorogun David Edevbie and Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori’s camp erupted, supporters of Olorogun Edevbie claimed that Olorogun Edevbie was more qualified than Rt. Hon. Oborevwori.
According to them, Olorogun Edevbie was a technocrat and more educated than Rt. Hon. Oborevwori.
Where they got that information, I cannot tell because Hon. Oborevwori is a university graduate like Chief Edevbie.
Above all, apart from being a successful lawmaker in the state, Rt. Hon. Oborevwori has won an election in Delta State, which Chief Edevbie cannot boast of, apart from being appointed a Commissioner and Chief of Staff to the Governor.
What supporters of Chief Edevbie did not know and understand was the existence of a political qualification called “likeability,” which is higher than any university degree.
Any politician who lacks this qualification will struggle among his people and to win elections.
Both Chief Edevbie and Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori were qualified to be the governor of Delta State, but Rt. Hon. Oborevwori was more likeable among Deltans than Chief Edevbie.
Period!
How Did I Know That Rt. Hon. Oborevwori Was More Likeable In Delta State Than Chief Edevbie
Let me start with myself.
After the Delta Central Committee, DC-23, had short-listed Chief Kenneth Gbagi, a former federal minister, Olorogun David Edevbie, a former Commissioner of Finance and Chief of Staff to the governor in Delta State, and Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori as the last 3-Man standing, I decided to carry out an investigation on the personalities of these three heavyweights.
At the end of my investigation, I found Rt. Hon. Oborevwori to be more likeable to me than the other two gentlemen.
“Why?” you might ask.
Because I saw humility that surpassed that of others in him. Also, he sounded and looked more natural and down-to-earth than others to me.
This informed my friends and me to direct our existing political support group, ICT Like-Minds for PDP, ILP, towards supporting Rt. Hon. Oborevwori’s election bid.
After the Presidential Election of February 25, 2023, my egg-seller customer and supporter of the Labour Party, LP, in Asaba, said something that corroborated my findings on Rt. Hon. Oborevwori.
“Na Peter Obi, I vote for for Presidential election,” she disclosed, “but e be like say na Sheriff I go vote for for governor.”
When I asked to know why she wanted to vote for Sheriff as the governor of Delta State, she replied: “Many people, for dis market, say dem go vote for Sheriff because dem like am. Dem they say de man simple well, well and im no dey form or buga for people.
This was also why one of my Facebook friends, Mr. Azu Austin, described Rt. Hon. Oborevwori as “the Warri boy with Street Credibility.”
The Reason I Decided to Write This Article
The reason I decided to write this article is because the election and victory of Rt. Hon. Sheriff Francis Oborevwori came with a big lesson.
What is the lesson?
The lesson is that competence without likeability and grace or luck will do no politician any good.
My Advice to Politicians in Delta State and Other Parts of Nigeria
There are three things you need to survive and succeed as a politician in Delta State and in other parts of Nigeria.
The name of those things, as I mentioned above, are:
- Competence;
- Likeability; and
- Luck, for unbelievers, and grace, for believers.
The first two will deliver the third one for you.
In other words, if you’re competent and liked by your people, you’ll have the luck or grace to succeed, politically speaking!
The only way a politician can succeed or win elections without these elements is by rigging, which has been the bane of Nigeria’s fledgling democracy.
Furthermore, any politician who thinks he or she can acquire the best university degrees and speak the best English in order to win elections is either wasting his or her time or leaving in a fool’s paradise.
The most-qualified politician who’s not liked by his people can only be given appointments, but may never win a major election until he or she begins to enjoy the likeability of his or her people.
This is why a political candidate who the people don’t like would say, “I’ll improve your lives, reduce taxes, and increase salaries,” yet the people would not believe him or her. Instead, they would see him or her as a blatant liar.
The only way a politician in Nigeria can have his way, without competence, likeability, and luck or grace is with the illegal use of money and rigging, whose repercussions are dire.
In conclusion, if you’re a politician and want to win elections in a Godly way like Rt. Hon. Sheriff Francis Orhowedor Oborevwori, go for competence, likeability, and the grace of God.
This is why Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori will win the governorship primary and main governorship election ten times in Delta State if you repeat them ten times.
I want to use this opportunity, once more, to say congratulations to Deltans on the well-deserved victory of Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori as the governor-elect of Delta State.
We look forward and pray that the Almighty God would grant him the wisdom to govern Delta State aright and deliver his M.O.R.E agenda, as he takes over the mantle of leadership of Delta State from our amiable outgoing governor, Senator (Dr.) Arthur Ifeanyi Okowa.
The Major Reason Sheriff Won the Governorship Election in Delta State is the Direct Opposite of the Reason Most Other Nigerian Politicians Fail. THE END.
