Great Ogboru

Great Ovedje Ogboru is a Nigerian businessman and politician who was the gubernatorial aspirant for Alliance of Democracy,^[1] Democratic Peoples' Party and Labour Party in the 2003, 2007 and 2015 Delta State governorship elections.

Born in Port Harcourt to a father whose hometown was Abraka and a mother from Umukwata, Ogboru received early education at Municipal Primary School, Port Harcourt but left the city to continue studies at a primary school in Abraka, and finished primary education at Oharisi Primary School, Ughelli.^[2] He attended a government college secondary school from 1971 - 1975, shortly after, he served as a teacher and while working, he obtained an external advanced level certificate in 1980. After teaching for four years, he was employed as a marketing officer in a fishing company in Lagos. Three years later, he left the fishing firm to found his own private fishing business, Fiogret Ltd which later grew and expanded to a few other African countries. At the time he was involved in the fishing business, he expanded to other ventures including a Warri based furniture company and a finance and Bureau de Change.^[2]

In April 1990, Ogboru was indicted in the failed coup attempt of Gideon Orkar, he fled the country through Seme border with the aid of his brother, Turner Ogboru. The military administration subsequently detained Turner and harassed Ogboru's siblings and did not discourage the looting of his properties by soldiers.^[3] Ogboru initially fled to London but later moved to Angola and Namibia. He returned to Nigeria in June 2000 and joined the democratic process with the establishment of the South-South Rainbow Coalition (SSRC). He established himself as a viable opposition candidate to Delta's governor, James Ibori^[4] and contested the governorship elections in Delta State in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015.

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