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By Chukwudi Abiandu

History, or political theatre dressed as destiny, unfolded in Asaba on Monday as the newly formed Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) staged its Delta State Congress, electing its executives by consensus and unveiling what it boldly brands a divine mission to “rescue Nigeria” from what it described as the suffocating grip of bad governance.

At the centre of the spectacle was High Chief (Dr.) Richman Angiama-Owei, who emerged as State Chairman and wasted no time in framing the party’s birth in unmistakably grand, almost prophetic terms.

“This party’s coming into being is by the hand of God,” Angiama-Owei declared shortly after taking the oath of office, casting the NDC not merely as a political alternative, but as a providential intervention. “It exists not by the making of man. God has heard our cries and created this platform to rescue Nigeria.”

It was a sweeping claim, one that immediately set the tone for a movement positioning itself as both political insurgent and moral crusader.

But beyond the rhetoric of divine endorsement lay a sharp, unfiltered attack on the ruling order. The NDC leadership took direct aim at the All Progressives Congress (APC), accusing it of presiding over policies that have plunged ordinary Nigerians into economic misery.

Angiama-Owei painted a bleak picture of a nation under strain, citing skyrocketing transport costs and the crushing burden of fuel prices as symbols of a government disconnected from the suffering of its citizens.

“Today, it costs so much to travel. The common man is under siege,” he said, accusing the APC of implementing policies that have “negatively affected” everyday Nigerians.

In a more aggressive turn, he suggested that the electorate is already mobilising for a political revolt. According to him, Nigerians are ready to abandon what he described as “destructive” governance and rally behind the NDC in a bid to reclaim their future.

“The people have decided to stand with NDC,” he insisted, projecting confidence that the party will not only compete but disrupt the political establishment in the 2027 elections.

Yet, for all its bold declarations, the NDC’s rise raises as many questions as it answers. Its leadership speaks with certainty about mass support, pointing to the crowd at the Asaba convention as proof of momentum. But critics may well ask: is this a genuine groundswell or another recycled coalition of familiar political actors seeking relevance under a new banner?

Angiama-Owei appeared unfazed by such skepticism, boasting that many of those now aligning with the NDC are veterans of the very system they seek to dismantle.

“We know the system and the game,” he said pointedly. “And we shall withstand them. We shall go to the grassroots to talk to the people.”

The new state Publicity Secretary, Barrister Philip Adu Odogwu said that history has been made with the Asaba NDC state congress, and that the party’s mantra is “Service to the people; service to God and service to mankind.” NDC promises to give Nigerians a productive economy as opposed to the prevailing consumption economy.
“Currently, we have docile persons running the government, but NDC is coming to change the situation,” Barr Odogwu said.

The event also drew key party figures, including South-South Chairman and National Vice Chairman Fred Owefonifa, who urged discipline and peaceful conduct, and Ken Peller, introduced as the party’s leader and, notably, its sole governorship aspirant, for now.

That detail alone underscores both the party’s early-stage structure and the challenge ahead: transforming bold declarations into a credible political machine capable of confronting entrenched power.

For now, the NDC has fired its opening salvo, loud, defiant, and laced with moral urgency. Whether it represents a genuine political awakening or simply another ambitious rebranding exercise in Nigeria’s crowded party landscape remains to be seen.

But one thing is clear: in Asaba, the NDC did not whisper its arrival, it roared, invoked heaven, and threw down the gauntlet.