There is open battle over the control of political activities in Degema Local Government Area which is the home to Rivers State Deputy Governor Dr. Mrs Ipalibo Harry-Banigo who hails from Harris-town. The vacuum created by the deaths of late Dr. Marshall Harry a former Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party-PDP, Later South-South National Vice Chairman of PDP and the untimely death of former Speaker rivers state House of assembly Rt. Honourable Tonye Harry has ever remained void and no suitable politician from Degema Local Government area has been able to fill it completely. For one, Dr. (Mrs) Ipalibo Harry-Banigo is married to the Banigo family in Grand Bonny Island Rivers state but she has Harris-Town as her political constituency where she is a registered Voter and resident as the customs and tradition of her Kalabari people allows matrilineal ties in the sociological make-up of the Coastal area Ijaw people of Niger Delta region Nigeria. This is where she derives the power to contest election and cast her votes from her father’s residential Home which is a challenge to the male politicians in Degema local government Area. Dr. Farah Dagogo is of Peoples Democratic Party-PDP and ex Militant and a former Commander of Mujihaden Asari Dokubo’s Niger Delta Peoples Volunteers Force as he later founded his own Niger Delta strike Force. He is currently an elected member Rivers state House of Assembly representing Degema state Constituency and chairman Education Committee at the Rivers state House of Assembly.
Farah Dagogo
Before the 2015 election that produced Dr (Mrs) Ipalibo Harry- Banigo as deputy governor with governor Nyesom Wike , there were high profile ex-militant leaders who hail from Degema Local Government Area which include Prince Ombe Amabibi popularly known as Bosram now heading Task Force in Land and sea Security and a staunch member of PDP., repentant Malvin another ex-Militant and a member of APC from Degema Local government Area is currently serving as Special Assistant on Finance–S.A to Chief Dere Mene executive director Finance and Administration at Niger Delta Development Commission-NDDC while Obese was a deadly ex militant who currently is of APC all were active in shaping the political terrain of Degema LGA where the number Citizen in Rivers state Deputy governor Dr. (Mrs) Ipalibo Harry-Banigo hails from. But with the trouble brewing between Dr. Farah Dagogo and deputy governor the aspirations of the ex-Militant leader and now law maker of returning to the Rivers state House of Assembly is far remote except he defects to APC as Degema has 17 electoral wards but Elder Altrade Braide from Bakana in Degema LGA has already positioned himself to contest for Degema state constituency seat come 2019 as well as a female ex Banker Sotonye Raymand who has a family relationship with current Managing director and Chief executive Officer of Niger delta Development Commission-NDDC Obong Nsima Ekere as she looks forward to contesting election into Rivers state House of assembly come 2019.
The battle to control Degema Local Government Area politics is now raging on against the run of play which the Deputy governor and Dr. Farah Dagogo are at logger head over who will produce the next care-taker Committee Chairman of Degema LGA as this struggle has left Degema without an appointed care-taker Committee member to run the affairs of the LGA.