The leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Delta State, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, has described one of the chieftains of the party in the state, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, as “a drowning man grabbing at straws to hang on to his political life.”

He said that Omo-Agege is the real cancer that invaded and ravaged the body politics of Delta APC and predicts that now that he has accomplished his task of destabilising the party and making it fail in the 2019 general elections, Omo-Agege will soon head back to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), his natural home.

In a statement released by Mr. Aghogho Orotomah, his Media and Social Communications aide, Emerhor further asserted: “Delta APC has known no peace since Omo-Agege was welcomed to the party in 2017.

“Omo-Agege who used the Labour Party to fight President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC in the 2015 general elections was magnanimously admitted into APC in 2017. Upon joining the APC, he kept his group of Labour Party-joiners intact and later transformed it into the Ogboru/Agege faction of today Delta APC.

“Omo-Agege’s plan from day one was to ride on the back of Chief Great Ogboru to return back to the Senate. He set about this by promising Chief Ogboru of making him Delta State Governor in 2019. Against the run of play of equity and political reality, Omo-Agege sold this dummy to Chief Ogboru that power rotation and zoning in Delta State do not matter, that the Delta North do not deserve to complete their eight years; that without the inputs and cooperation of Delta North or South, only the Urhobos of Delta Central can make Ogboru Governor of Delta state.

“Despite the well laid out plan of the Mainstream APC which properly positioned over four strong Delta North candidates in the persons of Prof Pat Utomi, Hon Victor Ochei, Dr Cairo Ojougbo and Dr Leroy Edozien, to fly the APC flag and deliver the party in the 2019 elections, Senator Omo-Agege succeeded in turning the National headquarters of the APC against the party in Delta and had his way to foist Ogboru and himself on the party. Now the verdict of abysmal failure is out and Omo-Agege is out there shamelessly attempting to pass the buck.

“Omo-Agege ended up making Ogboru a laughing stock. Out of 8 Delta Central LGAs, Ogboru managed to scrape through in only 2, and out of the 2, Ughelli north was substantially delivered by Olorogun O’tega Emerhor and Engr Sam Adjogbe. Emerhor and Adjogbe also delivered the 2 house of assembly candidates from their constituency out of only 3 races won by APC in Delta State in the 2019 elections. Ogboru lost all 9 LGAs and 8 LGAs in Delta North and South respectively. Omo-Agege was nowhere to be found!

“Omo-Agege, instead of making Ogboru Governor actually sabotaged him after purportedly winning his senatorial bid. How else do you explain Omo-Agege pulling in over 10,000 votes for himself from his Orogun ward 1 in the Senatorial elections of February 23 yet on March 9, in the Governorship elections of Ogboru, that same ward recorded under 2,000 votes only? Omo-Agege not only sabotaged Ogboru and the APC during the governorship elections, but he also undermined the so-called federal might under his charge to fail Ogboru in a deal with the PDP.

“Omo-Agege selfishly used and dumped Ogboru and ruined the chances of Delta APC. He is still delusional as the roof of his senatorial and Deputy Senate President ambition comes down crashing. He is acting like the proverbial drowning man grabbing at any straw in sight in an attempt to sustain his political life.

“Agreed he is a lawyer, he has also now decided to play court and judge over the annulment of his illegal candidacy in the 2019 elections. Three courts have passed judgments on the nullification of Omo-Agege’s candidacy: Asaba FHC judgement on March 18th by Justice Adegoke annulled the list of candidates that include Omo-Agege. The Asaba FHC judgment by Justice Dimgba on April 4 affirmed the annulment.

“The Warri FHC judgment of April 2nd struck out the suit by Emerhor and Niboro against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and APC for not joining Omo-Agege. The court found that APC's assertion that Omo-Agege was a candidate that emerged from a primary monitored by INEC was not controverted and the court accepted the argument that Omo-Agege ought to be made a party to the suit. The Judge, therefore, struck the case out for failure to join Omo-Agege as a party to the suit. That did not amount to affirming Omo-Agege as the candidate as Omo-Agege is out there deluding himself and lying and deceiving the public. Moreover, the Asaba FHC judgement by Justice Dimgba on April 4th affirming Omo-Agege’s annulment is the last in time.

“Omo-Agege at first based his claim of remaining Senator-elect on the fraudulent and contentious Abuja FHC consent judgment stating that the Asaba FHC being a court of coordinate jurisdiction cannot supersede the consent judgment. Now he has moved away from consent judgment to Warri FHC that gave no order but struck out a suit for not including him as a party. The same Omo-Agege that is now chanting ‘no one can shave his head behind his back’ was the apostle of a consent judgment that shaved Chief Ogodo Exco and Emerhor and all mainstream candidates behind their backs with the Abuja FHC consent judgment and was proud of it. Just that the tables have now turned.

“Emerhor does not hate Omo-Agege. Emerhor opened APC doors in 2017 to admit Omo-Agege. Omo-Agege has turned into cancer in Delta APC, a virus that has ravaged Delta APC body politics. Emerhor only seeks the restitution of the rights of mainstream APC through the courts and so far so good. Emerhor awaits the issuance of his Certificate of Return as Senator-elect from INEC. Emerhor will represent Delta Central as Senator and shall surely turn around the fortune of Delta APC in preparation for 2023 politics, unlike Omo-Agege who is already negotiating his way back to PDP to actualise his 2023 governorship ambition.”