OKANGA 2027: Full Support for Chief (Dr.) Philip Agbese

I’m thrilled to announce my full support for Chief (Dr.) Philip Agbese Okanga’s re-election in 2027 by God’s Grace.

As a proud son of the Owukpa community in Ogbadibo Local Government, I’m overjoyed to see the numerous projects for Owukpa included in the 2025 budget, which will soon kick off. Despite all he has already done, I score him 60% in his 2 years in office.

This tangible progress has convinced me that Honorable Agbese’s achievements are not mere propaganda, but a testament to his dedication.

Having contested for the same seat in 2023, I’ve had a front-row seat to his exceptional work. I’m impressed by his commitment to our constituency, and I believe I might not have done any better if I had won. His youthfulness is an asset, and I think it’s time to give our younger generation a chance.

As many know, our constituency has an informal zoning arrangement, where each local government gets an eight-year term from 1999-2023. By the last election conducted 2 years ago, every local government in Enone Federal Constituency had already enjoyed two terms. Ado LG (1999-2003), Okpokwu (2003-2011), then Ogbadibo (2011-2019), and then Ado came on board again (2019-2023). This was the basis for my contesting the election in 2023, since every local government had, had its fair turn.

It may interest you to know that no local government voluntarily left the stage after enjoying their two-term turn. In 2011, Okpokwu Local Government forced its way to do a third term but lost in the field, while in 2019, Ogbadibo Local Government also forced its way to get a third term but met stiff resistance and lost in the field. In all this analysis, it was Ado Local Government that broke its tenure into two, which is 1999-2003 and then 2019-2023. This became the major reason we all stood against Ado Local Government in 2023, with a superior argument that they had done their two terms, irrespective of how they managed to split it.

After many crucial stakeholders’ meetings and upon meetings in 2022, a school of thought came together in Okpoga, the constituency headquarters, and reviewed exhaustively, concluding that since we (Ogbadibo) refused to let Ado Local Government continue solely in the election (considering they were the incumbent then), we could all go ahead and contest for the election from the three local governments, with the agreement that whosoever wins, the zoning will start from there. It was named “The Okpoga Accord 2022” and happened in the buildup to the primary election in 2022. As faith would have it, the three local governments participated in the general election, with Ogbadibo in (PDP), Okpokwu in (Labour), and Ado in (APC).

Given that Ado Local Government won the seat in 2023, it is only normal to concede the zoning to them, especially in a civilized society where agreements are respected and values are maintained.
I believe Honorable Agbese should be allowed to complete his second term without disruption, except if another accord is entered into that every local government should just start doing one term turn now, which I don’t think will work.

While this decision might not sit well with everyone, I’m making it based on my conviction that he’s the best person for the job. I’ve seen his blueprint, and the 2025 budget reflects his commitment to our constituency. With projects planned for all 35 wards, I’m confident that he’ll continue to deliver. I pray for his success and wish him all the best in his re-election bid.

As a matter of fact, I’ve had some individuals, friends and wellwishers approach me to contest against him, but I believe that God’s plan is what’s most important. As I always say, A man can get nothing except what he’s given to him from God. I’m focusing on supporting Honorable Agbese for now, but if the Lord tarries, I’ll continue to prepare for higher elections and share my plans with you. Let’s give our younger generation a chance to lead and make a difference. I’m 100% behind Honorable Philip Agbese, and I believe he’ll win the 2027 House of Representatives seat for Enone Federal Constituency 2027 by the special grace of God 🙏.