2027 Will Be a Battle Between the Masses and the Ruling Class — Pela

In this interview with CHIBUIKE CHUKWU, Deacon Ken Pela, the Labour Party’s candidate for governor of Delta State in the general election of 2023, discusses the 2027 general elections and how that will be a conflict between the people and the ruling class. Along with discussing his intention to run again in 2027, Pela also discusses the ongoing attacks on Peter Obi, how Delta has fallen short of its reputation as one of Nigeria’s highest-earning states, and his wish to make up for the wrongs of Delta’s many years of government. Quotes:

As you stated in your research, Delta State should have been competing with companies like Dubai, therefore why do you think the state is performing poorly despite having vast resources?

Since nature detests emptiness, if you wanted to take this a step further, if you had the leader, something would fill the void. Therefore, if you find yourself in a scenario where you have money but are unsure of how to spend it, you end up wasting it. You will, however, be searching for funds to support your thoughts and goals if you find yourself in a position where you have both. Thus, it is the issue. Let’s assume that, according to my findings, Delta was established in 1991. The military ruled it. Therefore, it was reasonable for Delta to drift between 1991 and 1999. The military and the majority of administrations, with the exception of Felix Ibru’s brief tenure, had no stake in the outcome. But what if they had vision when they were young as a state? What if a group or committee had been established? Yes, there is one nation in the world that has desert, oil, and everything else. How are they acting? Because Dubai had already begun to exhibit symptoms of vision by 1999, as I mentioned earlier. By 1999, they were making progress in transforming that desert into a lovely location, and things continued to improve over time. They made investments in airports and every facet of the economy. The funds were not squandered. We wouldn’t be in this situation now if Delta had not thoroughly researched Dubai. What they actually did was waste money and take various paths. That is the main point of it. lack of leadership with vision.

But don’t you think that all of them may have been explained by a few factors? Delta cannot even have complete control over the oil in their backyard, as you mentioned.

The revenue-generating resources that Delta received could have been used for other purposes. That’s what I mean by that. Let’s go ahead twenty-five years. Examine Abia State. A number of governors have led Abia State. Under the previous governors, Aba was a wasteland. There was no way Umuahia was leaving. However, we currently have visionary leadership in the same state. See the difference after two years. That’s the difference—not for up to four years.

Not many Nigerians still think that the 2023 election was heavily rigged, even though you ran for governor of Delta in that year under the Labour Party. The majority of Nigerians think that the most recent election was not free and fair. What gives you the assurance that the procedure has changed to ensure a total break from the 2023 exercise as you prepare to put your hat in the ring once more?

I attended the election of Olumide Apata in Benin last October. I was constantly mobilizing. In the weeks preceding that governorship race, I was in Edo State after spending more than three, four, and five months in and out of the state. Actually, I was organizing my colleagues for three weeks in a row because I am the chairman of the Labour Party’s governorship candidates forum. from 2023 to 2025. Additionally, in order to give the campaign a more national feel, I rallied all of my colleagues both inside and outside of Edo State. On election day, we then discovered that voters were already selling their ballots for 5,000, 20,000, and 40,000 dollars. I was somewhat disheartened. Asue Ighodalo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was clearly ahead with roughly 92,000 votes by 9 p.m., and at that point, 92% of the results were out, leaving only 8% of the results. This made me feel even more disheartened. It was shocking to learn that the All Progressives Congress (APC) had reportedly won by a large margin by the next morning. That night, my wife was already rather uninterested before the results were announced the next morning. “Are you sure you want to do this thing, honey?” was the first thing my wife said while she was in the United States. Do you wish to carry on doing this? You are squandering your money. Of all, since I spend money and effort on personal matters, all of this running about is their inheritance. I mean, I spend what the family ought to be spending. Currently, she wasn’t asking me because I’m squandering their resources. She was requesting my mental tranquility. She was concerned about my welfare, which is why she asked me. Knowing that I believe in it, she took care of my mental and emotional health while doing this. My constant doing this and the possibility that they would continue to do what they will do concerned her. I was meant to accomplish precisely that. So, I was in a bad situation. Olumide and I went to church the following morning to give thanks. And I felt calm on that Thanksgiving. The peace—what was it? It happened because I was reminded in a positive way of what I always say. I typically say that good cannot always win out over evil. The world was given to man by God. However, the devil departed heaven and entered this world when God gave it to man, where he continued to struggle for dominance. And if man doesn’t accept responsibility for his actions, he will continue to win. The devil will therefore prevail if some of us choose not to stand. But if some of us stand up to him, then God has an opportunity to save this earth. As I always remark, I think that my principal’s (Peter Obi’s) so-called engagement in Nigerian politics is not typical. I think it’s divine. It’s the answer to prayer, in my opinion. We have lived long enough in this nation to understand that it is not customary for people to spend their own money to support a politician. Is it true? Politicians typically donate money to the populace. The first time citizens started spending money on behalf of a politician was in 2023. Nigeria has gotten worse since the four individuals in the room who were tweeting that they wouldn’t receive one million votes defeated them all without any kind of structure. The land is now more hungry than it was before. What gives me the impression that things will be different in 2027? Having said all of this, it will be the people against the government by 2027. Regarding the state of affairs in the country, 2023 will be a child’s paradise compared to what will occur in 2027. Returning to the question you posed, what makes me believe? My experience and lessons learned must be the source of my determination. The fact is, I believe, that people will accept things as they are in 2027. Furthermore, as you can see, Delta should be a citizen-driven movement by the time you read through my plans. Deltans must be involved; I am unable to do it alone. It’s my responsibility to demonstrate Deltans where they’ve failed and to encourage them with what they can do to regain Delta.

Peter Obi has been accused of being attacked by the ruling party, specifically by the All Progressives Congress governors. He was first cautioned by Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia not to enter his state without permission. It was recently Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo. Why do you think he is their target in all of these?

There is no better term to describe it than frustration. I’ll respond to this query from two angles. First of all, have you ever witnessed politicking throughout a term? No. Never before has it begun this way. Halfway through an administration, the politics of the next election have begun, and it has never been this way before. They did this because the events of 2013 stunned them. They thought, like all politicians, the man would disappear. In the past, the majority of politicians would do that; a man would leave and resume his campaigning in the run-up to the election. Despite his limited reach, Peter Obi has been highly visible, involved, and engaged. He has been fostering inspiration and hope. During that time, their own popularity has been declining. They are failing daily. Both hunger and the state of the economy are getting worse. Their only option, frustrated, is to start politicking, pressuring governors to defect to the APC and inciting others. And throughout that process, Peter Obi is the individual that sticks out and keeps standing out. That’s the top priority. APC chairman of Edo State, number two. As soon as he made that thoughtless remark, they looked into his background and discovered that he was an accused fraudster. He claimed to despise Peter Obi. Then, of course, when you look at the scenario, you see that Nigeria is stratifying, with people with a certain type of character or a history of bad behavior rallying around various coalitions, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC). And that’s where I start to worry about the coalition because, once more, we’re supposed to have another group in the opposition that is purportedly coming together around the ADC. One individual in particular, however, sticks out in that second group that is assembling around the ADC. Additionally, he keeps about dismantling the criminal justice system. He says this repeatedly. The fact is that, if a man claims to be able to clean up the system, anyone with a criminal mindset knows that they will be in trouble if that man gets into government. I ran for the position of chairman of the local government some twenty years ago. They wouldn’t give me anything because I won the primary. I then attempted to interact with the system. At that time, I was appointed as the National Institute of Sports’ acting chairman and a council member. When we changed the name to Delta Trust Mortgage Finance, I was the chairman of Delta Building Society. At that time, I was a student at Burutu’s Delta School of Marine Technology. During that journey and experience, I concluded that there are only 37 seats worth running for if your goal in politics is to make a difference. Among them, you are either the president or the governor. Thus, Peter Obi is aiming to surpass them. He will therefore be able to make changes there using his administrative authority. The fact is that if you can find a leader who possesses that kind of thinking and mindset, you can transform this nation in a significant way, especially if he has the support of the people. You can alter this nation so that anyone who follows him won’t dare to do anything else than improve the current situation. Those who have a criminal mindset, criminal intentions, and criminal political ambitions would obviously despise him.

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Many supporters of Peter Obi, including the Obidients and others who share his views, have stated that he ought to quit the alliance if the ADC did not provide him the presidential ticket. If it were to occur, don’t you think it would portray him as erratic and desperate?

For the sake of gaining power, Peter Obi has consistently stated that he would not join a coalition. He will be a member of a coalition that will benefit the Nigerian people. Are there any other people in this country today who have the ability to change things, especially among them, if you are honest with yourself? Does anyone else in today’s politics, both inside and outside the coalition, have the best interests of the people and a greater desire to improve Nigeria than him? Peter Obi is a reliable person.

What is the real situation within the Labour Party? Do you still belong to the party, and has Peter Obi genuinely departed from the Labour Party?

The Labour Party is still where we are. Peter Obi remains a member of the Labour Party. He and I were present at the launch of the Labour Party’s campaign for the Anambra State governorship. He is still a member of the Labour Party, then. However, they are allied. We’re in coalition discussions for 2027, but we’re in the Labour Party.

Given that they claimed Sheriff Oborevwori has been reliable with infrastructure, how would you rank his administration in your state after two years?

My midterm report has all I would have wanted to say. The governor is both my buddy and brother. However, building a state involves more than just infrastructure. What are the goals of expenditure and infrastructure, respectively? Now that you have a lot of razzmatazz, they will point to three new flyovers that have wildly exorbitant prices. Yes, I agree that flyovers make traveling easier. There are two, three, and five of them in Warri. I’ve also heard that Ughelli and another person were recently honored. Those flyovers can’t be inflated by more than N200 billion. I believe the estimated cost would exceed N70 billion, as they have already completed two years and the three in Warri. The N70 billion allotment is only for one and a half months. After two years and the start of the third, that is all they have to show at a time when the state has generated trillions of dollars in revenue. Delta State received about one billion naira in allocations in just two years, and that’s not include internally generated revenue (IGR). Since the five south-east states only made slightly more than $1 billion, Delta State alone is making nearly as much as the five states combined. Then observe leadership in action. If you compare the 2025 budgets of Abia and Delta, they are completely different. They’re not together. Sheriff is my brother, like I mentioned. Okay? I’ve already covered all I wanted to in my midterm report.