Arthur Okowa Ifeanyi

Arthur Okowa Ifeanyi
Senator for Delta North
Incumbent
Assumed office
May 2011
Preceded by Patrick Osakwe
Personal details
Born 8 July 1959 (1959-07-08) (age 52)

Arthur Okowa Ifeanyi (b. 8 July 1959) is a Nigerian politician who was elected Senator for Delta North, in Delta State, Nigeria, in the April 2011 national elections. He ran on the People's Democratic Party (PDP) platform.

Background

Okowa was born on 8 July 1959 at Owa-Alero in Ika North-East Local Government Area of Delta State. He attended Edo College, Benin City (1970-1976), then went on to the University of Ibadan where he studied Medicine and Surgery, graduating in 1981 with an MBBS degree. After his stint in the National Youth Service Corps he worked with the Bendel State Hospitals Management Board as a Medical Officer. He entered private practice as Director, Victory Medical Centre, Igbanke in 1986.[1]

Political career

Okowa became Secretary to the Ika Local Government and then Chairman of the Ika North-East Local Government Council (1991-1993). He was Delta North Coordinator of the Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM). He joined the PDP in 1998, and assisted in Governor James Ibori's campaign in 1998/1999. He served as a Commissioner in the Delta State government for Agriculture and Natural Resources (July 1999 – April 2001), Water Resources Development (April 2001 – May 2003) and Health (September 2003 – October 2006).[1]

Okowa resigned to contest in the 2007 PDP primaries for Governor of Delta State, but did not succeed.[1] In June 2007, Ifeanyi was appointed Secretary to the Delta state Government.[2]

Ifeanyi was elected Delta North Senatorial candidate in the PDP primaries on 11 January 2011 with 942 votes, but the result was challenged by party leaders who favored Marian Amaka Alli as candidate.[3] He was reelected in a rerun where he scored 1,446 votes, against 108 votes for Dr. Maryam Alli.[4] In the April 2011 election for the Delta North Senatorial seat, Ifeanyi won 98,140 votes, ahead of runner up Prince Ned Munir Nwoko of the Democratic People's Party, who won 67,985 votes.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c "The Biography of Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa". Okowa for Senate. http://okowa4senate2011.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=86&catid=1&Itemid=93. Retrieved 2011-05-04. 
  2. ^ "REMARKS BY GOV. UDUAGHAN AS OKOWA BECOMES NEW SSG.". Office of the governor, Delta State. JUNE 4, 2007. http://www.governoruduaghan.org/news_fetcher.php?fid=35. Retrieved 2011-05-04. 
  3. ^ "HOW OKOWA EMERGED DELTA NORTH SENATORIAL CANDIDATE". Daily Sun. 08 Feb 2011. http://www.thenigerianvoice.com/nvnews/45766/1/how-okowa-emerged-delta-north-senatorial-candidate.html. Retrieved 2011-05-04. 
  4. ^ "Arthur Okowa Wins Delta North Senatorial Primaries Again". HuHu Online. http://www.huhuonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2536:live-from-asaba-pdp-delta-north-senatorial-re-run&catid=103:more-news. Retrieved 2011-05-04. 
  5. ^ "Collated Senate results". INEC. http://www.inecnigeria.org/downloads/?did=114. Retrieved 2011-05-04.