Orubebe: Old Wine in a New Bottle

What is the Orubebe effect? Anybody who was wise enough to follow the thrills of politics a few years back will recall a certain politician who single-handedly stalled the announcement of a new Nigerian president when he suspected foul play in the electoral process. That man is Elder GodsdayOrubebe, and things are continually looking up for him. The latest news is that he has been unreservedly annexed by OvieOmo-Agege, the Delta State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

A few days ago, Omo-Agege appointed Orubebe as the Director-General of his campaign council, leaving the former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs to decide how to help him win the gubernatorial campaign in Delta. Naturally, due to Orubebe’s history (and histrionics) as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for many years, Omo-Agege is generally considered a lucky individual with an admirable understanding of how politics works in Nigeria.

Orubebe left the PDP in June 2022. While his departure was a thing of speculation at first, the reason he left PDP eventually came to light. In fact, it was Orubebe himself that explained that he was not confident that the PDP will be able to regain power in 2023. Why fight the waves when all you have is a tiny boat? Thus, Orubebe informed his superiors in the PDP of his desire to join the bigger boat, especially since his former party did not read the times correctly and did things without considering its own constitution.

Anyway, Orubebe is now a proud member of the APC and is currently helping Omo-Agege drive his political agenda. This change in political scenery will amount to much in the form of a gubernatorial victory in Delta will determine whether Orubebe’s party-switching is justified. At the moment, Orubebe is best described as old wine in a new bottle.