Bàyelsa Central Senatorial Battle Heats Up: Prof. Suobo Reals Out Manifesto, Pledges " Rare Representation"

By Inegbagha Majesty 

Prof. Hephzibah Ebi Suobo is the Bàyelsa Central senatorial candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) for the 2027 general election.

Prof.Hephzibah Ebi Suobo, PhD

He is a development actor, SDG practitioner and advocate, Lecturer, author, climate diplomat, environmentalist, policy advocate, entrepreneur, Christian minister and development strategist.

In this exclusive interview with Global Overseer Editor, the sage opens up about sundry issues concerning his election - his rare wealth of experience, the basic development challenges affecting the Senatorial District, his reason for contesting the election, and why the people should vote for him.

He also reeled out his manifesto and promised to ensure "Rare Representation", and a people-centred Vision for Sustainable Prosperity, Justice, Climate Responsibility and Inclusive Development.

The ADP Candidate promised to pursue legislation and National policy reforms to rebrand and reposition Bàyelsa Central as the SKY District at the National Assembly, creating a stronger and more coherent framework for national and international development interventions in the district, among others when elected. Except:-

Global Overseer: Could you please tell us about yourself and your profile?

ADP Candidate: I am Prof. Hephzibah Ebi Suobo, a development actor, SDG practitioner and advocate, lecturer, author, climate diplomat, environmentalist, policy advocate, entrepreneur, Christian minister and community development strategist. I am contesting to represent the people of Southern Ijaw, Kolokuma/Opokuma and Yenagoa in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

My professional journey has taken me across multilateral diplomacy, climate action, environmental restoration, development policy, youth and gender empowerment, legislative engagement and community development.

I am a Professor of Climate Diplomacy and a Climate Reality Leader, trained through the Climate Reality Leadership Corps founded and led by former United States Vice President Al Gore. I currently serve as Chairman of the Bayelsa State Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Committee, established in line with the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration Plan of Action for 2021–2030. My work has focused on environmental sustainability, ecosystem restoration, climate resilience and sustainable development.

I am also the President and Chairman of WAFAA International Foundation, an organisation working on climate action, gender, sustainable development and environmental issues. The organisation has participated in Nigeria's engagement around GEF-9, including discussions concerning STAR allocation, co-financing, blended financing and small-grants opportunities, working with development partners and relevant national institutions, including the Federal Ministry of Environment, FAO, IFAD, UNIDO and UNDP.

My international engagement includes participation and representation in global climate and development processes, including COP26 in Glasgow, United Kingdom; COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt; and COP28 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

I have also participated in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) processes, from INC-1 through INC-5.2, concerning the development of an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including pollution in the marine environment. These engagements have taken me to Punta del Este, Uruguay; Paris, France; Nairobi, Kenya; the Republic of Korea; and Canada.

My African Union and UNECA-related engagements have included participation in processes such as COM24 in Victoria Falls, as well as discussions on conservation, climate finance, loss and damage, and sustainable development. I have also participated in climate-finance discussions in Marrakech, Morocco, and engaged with discussions around the Seville Commitments in Spain and the UN Convention on Social Protection in Qatar, including the Doha Political Declaration.

I have participated in United Nations processes, including engagements at UN Headquarters in New York, the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) and the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2019.

I have also been involved in the Generation Equality Forum as an Action Coalition Commitment Maker, including engagements in Paris and Mexico in 2021. My work has included international commitments relating to climate finance, climate justice, reparative justice, loss and damage and sustainable development for the Global South.

Academically and professionally, I am the author of five books and scholarly publications, including work published through academic and policy platforms such as Triple Helix Nigeria. I have served as a guest lecturer, keynote speaker and panelist at national and international events.

I have also had academic and professional engagements with institutions including Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma; Queen's University Belfast; and the African School of Diplomacy and International Relations, where I serve as a lecturer and Fellow.

My academic and professional engagements also include the International Institute of Experts on Political Economy and Administration (IIEPEA) and the Institute of Foreign Language and Biomedical Translation, Bayelsa Medical University. Through a collaboration with the Protestant University of West Africa, including its French-language programme, I have supported foreign-language immersion initiatives for Ijaw students in Francophone West Africa.

I am a full member of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), a Senior Orator of Nigeria (SON) associated with the Association of Certified Public Speakers of Nigeria, and a member of the Association of Nigerian Authors, Bayelsa State Chapter.

But beyond the titles and international engagements, my story is fundamentally a story of service.

As a young man, I served at both state and national levels of the National Youth Council of Nigeria. I also established the Southern Ijaw Youth Leaders Forum to mentor and develop emerging youth leaders.

I served as a Legislative Assistant to Champion Hon. Daniel Igali, OON, in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly. I also served in the Bayelsa Volunteers structure under the administrations of Hon. Tiko Embiowe and Hon. Inikio, including service as Chairman of the Southern Ijaw LGA structure.

I served as Press Assistant to my late uncle, Hon. Clarkson Suobo, when he was Chairman of the Bomo East Central Development Centre.

I also served as Executive Assistant to Hon. Waripamowei Dudafa and worked with the late Ijaw Youth Council Interim President, Tekena Beregha.

During that period, we worked on publications including Izon Voice Newspapers and the book How to Achieve Development in the Niger Delta, which received endorsements from prominent Niger Delta leaders, including Chief E.K. Clark, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Prof. Kimse Okoko and Hon. Jonathan Obuebite, among others.

I also published Echoes of Bliss Magazine, documenting and amplifying development achievements in Bayelsa during the democratic administration of the late Chief Diepreye Solomon Peter Alamieyeseigha.

I have served as a Technical Assistant and Adviser to several public officials and worked with youth organisations on climate and environmental awareness programmes, including leading the 9th National Executive Council of the Ijaw Youth Council Worldwide on engagements in Accra, Ghana, and Nairobi, Kenya.

To my personal credit, and to the glory of God, I am the Chief Insight Officer of Fifteen Point Three Ltd, a business-development firm supporting the capacity development of youth-led entrepreneurs in Nigeria.

I established a Student Business Club at the University of Abuja and promoted the training of Niger Delta youths in collaboration with the Egyptian Africa Export Network (EXPONET) and the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs.

My company was also among the first to introduce cybersecurity proposals to the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP) under the leadership of Dr. Charles Dokubo.

I also have an outreach ministry known as Enter Nations Christian Center (ENCC), through which I partner with USA-based Baptist institutions to train and retrain Nigerian pastors in leadership, Christian education and global missions.

Because of my work and engagement in these areas, I was appointed Special Envoy on Climate Diplomacy and Multilateral Policy Negotiations, United World Congress of Diplomats, and Ambassador of the African Union Agenda 2063 Ambassadorial Assembly.

Today, I describe myself as a minister, environmentalist, climate diplomat, author, development actor, SDG and Earth Green Ambassador, entrepreneur, gender and youth development advocate, and life coach to the next generation.

I have chosen to bring all these experiences into public service because I believe that experience must ultimately become service, and commitments must become measurable results.

Global Overseer: What are the basic development challenges affecting your Senatorial District?

ADP Candidate: The SKY District — Southern Ijaw, Kolokuma/Opokuma and Yenagoa — possesses enormous human, agricultural, environmental, cultural and natural-resource potential. However, that potential has not translated into the level of development that our people deserve. The major challenges include: Inadequate Federal Presence: There is a significant gap in Federal Government infrastructure and institutional presence across many communities, particularly in riverine and hard-to-reach areas.

Development Gaps:  Several communities continue to experience deficits in roads, healthcare, education, water, electricity, digital connectivity and economic infrastructure.

Abandoned Federal Agricultural Infrastructure:  Facilities such as the Federal rice farm represent lost opportunities for food security, employment and agricultural industrialisation.

Underdeveloped Palm and Agricultural Value Chains:  Bayelsa's palm industry has enormous potential, yet we have not developed the scale of production, processing and employment opportunities that comparable palm-producing regions have achieved. We must move from subsistence production to modern agricultural value chains, processing and export-oriented production.

Oil and Gas Infrastructure Deficit:  We are an oil- and gas-producing region, yet our people continue to experience infrastructure deficits and environmental degradation. The question is: Why should communities that contribute significantly to Nigeria's natural-resource economy remain economically marginalised?

Human Capital Deficit:  Our educational and training institutions require stronger investment, modern infrastructure, research facilities and stronger industry linkages.

Flooding, Erosion and Coastal Vulnerability:  Our communities face perennial flooding, coastal erosion and ecosystem degradation. What is particularly concerning is that early-warning signals exist, yet our preparedness, adaptation and response mechanisms remain inadequate.

Weak Community Economic Inclusion:  Many communities remain disconnected from formal economic opportunities. We need community-based economic models that create jobs, enterprises, cooperatives and local value chains.

Neglect of Farmers and Fisherfolk:  Farming and fishing   waterways, fisheries, farmlands and ecosystems.

The Senate must therefore become a platform for legislation, oversight, appropriations and national advocacy to address these structural problems.

Global Overseer: What actually compels you to contest for the Bayelsa Central Senatorial Seat?

ADP Candidate: I am contesting because I believe the time has come to convert experience into legislation and legislation into development. For years, I have participated in national and international policy spaces where decisions affecting communities like ours are discussed.

I have sat in rooms where climate finance, environmental protection, sustainable development, international cooperation and development financing are negotiated.

I have therefore asked myself: What is the value of participating in global policy conversations if I cannot help translate those opportunities into tangible benefits for my own people?

That is why I am contesting. I want to use the Senate to develop a legislative and policy roadmap that addresses the structural problems of the SKY District.

My campaign is built around: “11th Hour, 11th Senate, 11 Key Actions.” The 11th Hour represents injury time — a recognition that we cannot continue postponing development.

The 11th Senate represents the next National Assembly. And the 11 Key Actions represent my legislative and development priorities under the SKY Mandate. My objective is to ensure that what is currently described simply as Bayelsa Central is recognised politically and developmentally as a unified SKY District — Southern Ijaw, Kolokuma/Opokuma and Yenagoa — with a coherent development agenda.

Global Overseer: Can you present your manifesto for the 2027 General Election?

ADP Candidate: Yes. My manifesto is called the SKY Mandate, built around the acronym: L.E.G.I.S.L.A.T.I.O.N. It represents 11 Key Actions for the 11th Senate.

L — Legal and Internationally Binding Instruments: I will promote legislation that strengthens environmental protection, climate responsibility, human rights, host-community protection, transparency and accountability. We must ensure that international commitments beneficial to the Niger Delta translate into domestic policy and legislation.

E — Environmental Sustainability: I will champion environmental restoration, pollution control, climate adaptation, resilient infrastructure, renewable energy, and the protection of our waterways and ecosystems.

G — Gender and Equal Opportunities: Women and young people must become participants in economic and political development. I will support policies that expand opportunities for women, girls, youth and vulnerable groups.

I — Inclusivity and Intersectional Development. Development must reach every community — not just urban centres. Riverine communities, persons with disabilities, women, youth and underserved populations must have a voice in development planning.

S — Sustainable Development: I will promote agriculture, SMEs, healthcare, education, clean water, sanitation, infrastructure and development programmes aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.

L — Leveraging for Livelihoods: We must move beyond political empowerment to economic empowerment. I will advocate for access to grants, cooperative financing, agriculture, fisheries, entrepreneurship, vocational training, digital livelihoods and social protection.

A — Action Coalition Commitment Maker: I have been involved in the Generation Equality framework as an Action Coalition Commitment Maker. I believe commitments must become measurable action. I will build partnerships among communities, government, development agencies, private investors, civil society and international institutions.

T — TVET: Technical and Vocational Education and Training: Our young people need skills that lead to employment and enterprise. I will support technical, vocational, digital and green-skills programmes linked to actual economic opportunities.

I — Innovation Ecosystems for Youth: We need innovation hubs, technology centres, research partnerships, mentorship platforms and startup ecosystems that enable young people to turn ideas into enterprises.

O — Ownership of Natural Resources: Our people must have a stronger voice in the economic benefits derived from their natural resources. I will advocate for stronger host-community participation, transparency, environmental accountability, diversification and mechanisms for fairer resource benefits.

N — Nature-Based Solutions: Nature itself can become part of our development strategy. I will promote mangrove restoration, coastal protection, sustainable agriculture, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, flood adaptation and green jobs.The philosophy behind the entire manifesto is simple:Making Commitments Matter.

Global Overseer: Why should the people of Bayelsa Central vote for you?

ADP Candidate:  The people should vote for me because I am offering competence, experience, legislative understanding, international exposure and a development agenda specifically designed around the realities of our district. I am not coming to the Senate to learn what development means. I have spent years participating in development, environmental and multilateral policy processes. I have engaged with development institutions, governments, civil society, international organisations and policy platforms across different countries. But my connection to the people is also deeply personal. Both my parents are from Igbomotoru 2, and my family relationships extend across communities including Ikoromogbene, Baberegbe, Igbomotoru 1, Osama and Olugbobiri, among others.

I am therefore not an outsider coming to discover Southern Ijaw. I am a son of the soil who understands the realities of our people. As a son of Boma Ibe/West Boma, I am also conscious of the legacy of my late father, HRH Capt. Justine T. Suobo (Obu III), who served as the first government-recognised traditional ruler of Igbomotoru. One of his strongest passions was the eradication of poverty among our people. I want to carry that vision forward — but with modern tools.

For example, my maternal grandfather was involved in the local kaikai trade. Rather than seeing traditional local industries only as cultural practices, I see an opportunity to develop research, innovation and modern enterprise ecosystems around local distillation, ethanol production, agriculture and related value chains, subject, of course, to applicable laws and public-health standards. We can transform traditional economic knowledge into modern enterprises. My international experience also gives me access to conversations about climate finance, development finance, technology, partnerships and international cooperation. The people deserve a Senator who can speak for them in the village, in Yenagoa, in Abuja and in international policy spaces.

Global  Overseer: How would you secure support to win this election?

ADP Candidate: My campaign strategy is based on people, organisation, ideas and trust. I intend to build support through five major pillars:

First — Grassroots Mobilisation: I will take the SKY Mandate directly to communities and listen to the people.

Second — Youth Mobilisation: Young people constitute a major force in the district. I will organise them around leadership, skills, enterprise and participation rather than merely around election-day mobilisation.

Third — Women's Mobilisation: Women are central to the economic and social survival of our communities. They must be treated as development partners.

Fourth — Community Leadership and Stakeholders: Traditional rulers, community leaders, religious leaders, professional groups, farmers, fisherfolk, civil society organisations, business people and other stakeholders will be part of the conversation.

Fifth — Policy-Driven Campaigning:  My campaign will not be based only on slogans.  I will present specific legislative and development priorities that people can evaluate. Ultimately, elections are won by the people. I will therefore seek the support of the electorate through persuasion, credibility, organisation, consultation and a clear development agenda.

Global Overseer: What will be different about your representation?

ADP Candidate: The difference will be the transition from representation by presence to representation by performance. A Senator should not merely attend plenary sessions. A Senator should: - sponsor and support relevant legislation; - use oversight powers effectively; - pursue Federal projects for the district; - attract development partnerships; - monitor constituency projects; - advocate for neglected communities; - engage ministries, departments and agencies; - connect communities to investment and financing opportunities; - defend environmental and economic interests; and - regularly report back to constituents.

I intend to establish a system where constituents can ask: What legislation did our Senator sponsor? What Federal projects were attracted? What agencies were engaged? What development financing was mobilised What oversight actions were taken? What commitments were made — and what was delivered? That is the accountability standard I want to establish.

Global  Overseer: What is your message to the electorate?

ADP Candidate:  My message is simple: Do not vote only for a person. Vote for a vision. Vote for competence. Vote for a development roadmap. Vote for representation that understands your present challenges and can negotiate for your future.

The SKY District has enormous potential. We have oil and gas, waterways, agricultural land, fisheries, forests, biodiversity, human capital, culture and strategically important communities.

What we lack is not potential. What we need is organised development, strategic legislation, effective representation and sustained political will. I am asking the people of Southern Ijaw, Kolokuma/Opokuma and Yenagoa to join me in building a new political and development culture.

The choice before us is whether we continue with business as usual or begin a new chapter. My promise is not that one Senator can solve every problem. My promise is that I will work, legislate, negotiate, advocate, oversee and report back. The SKY Mandate is about turning commitments into action. 11th Hour. 11th Senate. 11 Key Actions. Vote Prof. Hephzibah Ebi Suobo for Senate. Action Democratic Party (ADP). The SKY Mandate — Making Commitments Matter. A New Dawn for the SKY District.