My attention has been drawn to a piece authored by Mr Godwin Anaughe, an aide to the former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege. Though Anaughe's choice of language was unbecoming of a man of his exposure, I will not get through the gutters with him. In the article, Mr Anaughe attempts to attack the courageously realistic and statesmanlike position of the Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District, Senator Ede Dafinone, regarding the agitation for the creation of Ethiope State.
Ordinarily, I would not dignify this pocket of falsehoods with a response. Throughout his 12-paragraph write-up, Anaughe significantly failed to address or discredit the salient, common-sense points raised by Senator Dafinone. Instead, the piece exposed a fading political camp trying to use a sacred developmental aspiration as a tool for political reinvention.
The 3-Page Fallacy And Lack Of Consultation
No serious-minded legislature in the world treats state creation as a "tea party." The proponents of this sudden agitation—backed by Chief Christopher Ominimini and Chief Wilson Omene—expected the Nigerian Senate to treat a mere three-page paper as serious documentation for the creation of a state.
Worse still, this briefcase agitation completely bypassed the very people it claims to serve. To date, the drivers of this project have failed to show:
Zero Stakeholder Buy-In: No consultation with, or endorsement from, the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU), the Urhobo traditional rulers (Kings), the Urhobo intelligentsia, academics, or the business class.
Excluded Leadership:
They deliberately avoided consulting the Governor of Delta State, who stands today as the leader of the state, alongside other critical Urhobo political figures.
Missing Territory:
The proponents have no active representation, endorsement, or buy-in from key local government areas directly affected by the proposed boundaries.
How do you create a state without defining clear boundaries, proving economic sustainability, or detailing the natural resources that will sustain it? The Urhobo nation is far too enlightened to be dragged into this unnecessary controversy at this moment.
Where Was Omo-Agege’s Team Patriotism For Eight Years?
The most laughable aspect of Anaughe's tirade is the attempt to paint Senator Dafinone as "sleeping" on Urhobo interests. This brings us to a fundamental question the Omo-Agege camp hopes the Urhobo nation has collective amnesia over: Perhaps the Urhobo Nation should ask Anaughe what his champion did for state creation in his eight years in the Senate.
For four of those years, his boss sat in the vintage position of Deputy Senate President. By virtue of that office, he was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Constitutional Amendment. He possessed the immense legislative leverage, the proximity to the Presidency, and the structural power to draft, introduce, and push an Urhobo-centric state creation bill to national endorsement.
Did he do it? No. Was his sense of patriotism for the Urhobo nation taken away during those eight years? It is clear that while he held the golden opportunity, he did absolutely nothing. To wake up today and try to slip this through the foot soldiers is an insult to the intelligence of Delta Central people.
It is a matter of public record that the Senate Committee on Constitution Amendment, under the leadership of the then Deputy President of the Senate, occupied a strategic position in the process of state creation in the 9th Senate. All 31 state creation proposals nationwide passed through that constitutional framework, giving the committee the authority to facilitate public hearings, demand viability assessments, scrutinise proposals and provide the necessary legislative direction towards transforming an idea into a bill.
The question, therefore, is: as an aide to the then Deputy President of the Senate, what role did Mr Anaughe play in drawing attention to the Urhobo state creation agitation during that period? Did he use his proximity to power to advance the cause of Urhobo, or was his role merely reduced to defending a political position and attacking those who offered alternative perspectives? Leadership is measured by impact and contribution, not merely by occupying an office or receiving remuneration without adding value to the responsibilities attached to it.
A Weaponised Political Gimmick
This entire sudden clamour is nothing more than a weaponised political tool designed to score cheap points and breathe life into a dying political career. We have seen this script before. It mirrors the recent agitation championed by two of our brothers, which predictably fizzled out the moment political primaries were concluded. Where are the daily television appearances and passionate press statements now? They have vanished, just as the noise from the proponent has cooled down.
It is an open secret that these foot soldiers are merely massaging egos to further personal, fractured ambitions. Ominimini’s shifting gaze from the Senate to the House of Representatives and Dr Omene’s derailed legislative aspirations are the real drivers here—not the genuine love for the Urhobo people.
Delta Central has moved past the era of political intimidation, showmanship, and self-deceit. State creation is achieved through rigorous intellectual presentation, structural homework, strategic relationship-building, and systemic lobbying—not by grandstanding on television without a map or an economic plan.
Senator Ede Dafinone remains committed to an inclusive, respectful, and consultative approach to leadership. He will continue to consult our revered Kings, respect the UPU, engage our judges, and work collectively with all Urhobo elders and stakeholders to deliver tangible, sustainable development to Delta Central.
Signed:
Comrade Wilson Okorugbo,
A Public Affairs Analyst, Writes From Ughelli
