Political Endorsement Is Not The Same As Winning Elections — Okerevwodjaye
Comrade Ogheneyore Israel Okerevwodjaye, a Delta-based political analyst and public affairs strategist, has cautioned politicians against mistaking political endorsements, godfather backing and government influence for genuine electoral support, saying victory at the polls ultimately depends on the people and their votes.
Okerevwodjaye, who writes from Ughelli, Delta State, made the position known in a political commentary on the 2027 elections, particularly the contest for the Delta Central Senatorial District.
He argued that political endorsements, regardless of the status of those giving them, do not automatically translate into votes at the polling units.
“An endorsement is not a vote. It is a statement, a handshake, a banner and a photo-op. On election day, endorsements do not count. Votes do,” he stated.
According to him, a politician may receive endorsements from the President, a state governor, senators and influential political figures and still lose an election if such endorsements are not backed by genuine grassroots support.
Okerevwodjaye further argued that some individuals who publicly endorse candidates may not necessarily vote for them, while their supporters may equally exercise their franchise according to their personal convictions.
He therefore described endorsement without grassroots commitment as ineffective, stressing that candidates must build direct relationships with the electorate rather than depend entirely on political elites.
The analyst also cautioned against excessive reliance on what he described as “federal might” and “state might,” arguing that the deployment of political influence, money, security agencies and political structures could not guarantee legitimacy.
“Intimidation is not legitimacy. Rigging is not mandate,” he said, adding that the people ultimately retain the power to determine who represents them.
He maintained that the 2027 elections would increasingly be about performance, accountability and the ability of candidates to demonstrate tangible achievements rather than political entitlement or godfatherism.
According to him, politicians seeking elective office should be prepared to answer three fundamental questions from the electorate: “What did you do? What bills did you sponsor? What impact did you make?”
He particularly raised questions about the performance of Senator Ede Dafinone in the Senate, alleging that the lawmaker had sponsored no bills and had made no visible impact during his three years in office.
Okerevwodjaye also alleged that reliance on Governor Sheriff Oborevwori's political influence, endorsements and electoral structures would not be sufficient to guarantee victory for any candidate in Delta Central.
He urged political actors to engage stakeholders across the grassroots, including youths, women, market leaders and other community leaders, rather than assuming that political structures or endorsements alone would deliver electoral victory.
“Politics is now about performance, not entitlement,” he said.
The analyst, who has been publicly commenting on political developments and realignments in Delta Central ahead of the 2027 elections, has also expressed support for former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, in the forthcoming Delta Central senatorial contest. Publicly available posts associated with Okerevwodjaye show his continuing advocacy around Omo-Agege and the political future of Delta Central.
Okerevwodjaye concluded that the power of the electorate remained greater than that of political endorsements and urged voters to recognise the importance of their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
“Endorsement is noise. Federal might is pressure. State backing is logistics. The vote is power. Elections are won in polling units by people with results, not in boardrooms by men with godfathers,” he said.
