Soon after Nigeria's 2003 national elections, Rivers state Gov. Peter Odili sat back and assessed the situation. He had just been sworn in for his second term as governor of the leading oil-producing state in the Niger Delta, at the helm of a state government generating on the order of $100 million per month. It was not clear to Odili that a third gubernatorial term was even possible. Politicians were still charting their way in the new democratic Nigeria, which had just gone through its second election cycle. Although the constitution restricted elected officials to two terms, there was no guarantee that a strongman would not figure out a way around that. In any case, Odili had his sights on a higher office — either president or vice president — that would befit his growing stature as a political heavyweight in the Niger Delta.