On Monday, August 25, some political disciples of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the former leader of the All Progressives Congress APC, in Delta State, held a solidarity walk to drum up support for him and President Bola Tinubu, in defiance of an earlier directive by the party leadership in the state.

The march seemed fast-tracked to drive home the point that Omo-Agege, aformer Deputy Senate President (DSP), will not concede the2027 gubernatorial ticket to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, after an APC leader in the state, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, ignited what many consider apolitical bombshell about a fortnight ago.

They organized the power show at Kwale, the headquarters of the Ndokwa West Local Government Area, Delta State, the locality of Mr. Monday Onyeme, the state’s deputy governor.

Nwaoboshi, a former chairman of the Senate Committee on the Niger Delta and a political associate of Omo-Agege, unpredictably revealed about a fortnight ago that he had already counselled the ex-DSP not to challenge Oborevwori, the new leader of the party in the state, for the APC 2027 gubernatorial ticket.

The top-ranking APC leader stated that an ex-governor of the state, Chief James Ibori, who is regarded as Omo-Agege’s political mentor, was present when he advised the ex-DSP.

Instead of being described as someone involved in a losing feud, Senator Nwaoboshi would prefer Omo-Agege to calm down and let the governor treat him with the respect and admiration he merits as a distinguished party leader.

Omo-Agege can’t succumb to Oborevwori —Erhire

But hardly 24 hours after the Nwaoboshi’s bolt from the blue, Omo-Agege retorted, but circuitously. He pontificated through Chuks Erhihe, his senior special assistant (SSA) and executive director of the Niger Delta Basin Development Authority.

The assistant took Nwaoboshi to the cleaners.

He stated, “This is for the perusal of all Deltans, concerning the fake news from Sheriff Oborevwori’s media aides, stating that Senator Peter Nwaoboshi has admonished and convinced Senator Ovie Omo-Agege not to contest the governorship election against Sheriff Oborevwori in 2027.

“Dear Deltans, the so-called information from Senator Peter Nwaoboshi is fake, malicious, too petty, and erroneous in nature. Senator Peter Nwaoboshi did not have any political rapport with Senator Ovie Omo-Agege regarding burying his governorship ambition for Sheriff Oborevwori in 2027.

”To set the record straight, our principal, Senator Omo-Agege, did not indulge in any phone conversation or round table discussion with Senator Peter Nwaoboshi concerning forfeiting his governorship quest for Sheriff Oborevwori in 2027.

”The fake news is the handiwork of mischief-makers from the tenants of Delta APC, to score cheap political points and deceive Deltans to align with Sheriff Oborevwori in the governorship election.

”As a sequel to the above, we, the pragmatic political soldiers of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, call on all Deltans to pay deaf ears to the fake news and look forward to seeing Senator Ovie Omo-Agege partake in the governorship election in Delta State in 2027.”

Governor unruffled by Omo-Agege’s refusal — APC leader

Governor Oborevwori, who, as the PDP candidate, defeated Omo-Agege, the APC gubernatorial candidate, in the 2023 gubernatorial election, appears not threatened by the Orogun-born lawyer.

An APC leader told this paper, “If Oborevwori defeated Omo-Agege in 2023 on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), what makes Omo-Agege think he can stop him from getting a return ticket as a sitting governor in the ruling APC, which Oborevwori is now the state leader of?

”Well, one may not blame him because he has no idea of the terms that Oborevwori reached with President Tinubu before he collapsed the structure of the PDP, which had ruled the state for over 26 years, to join the APC.”

APC leaders take the power game to Govt House

The same Monday that Omo-Agege’s followers were bouncing through Kwale’s streets, APC state chairman Elder Omeni Sobotie took party leaders on a calculated trip to Oborevwori at the Government House in Asaba to update him on the party’s situation in the state’s three senatorial districts.

Ogbueshi Adizue Eluaka, the chairman of the APC in the Delta North senatorial district; Chief Paulinus Akpeki, the chairman of the Delta Central; and Mr. Austin Ariboye, the chairman of the Delta South, were among the top delegation, according to state publicity secretary Valentine Onojeghuo Esq., who confirmed the strategic meeting.

In a way, it was also a power game. Sobotie briefed Oborevwori on the party leadership’s current initiatives to fortify internal unity, mobilize members throughout wards and local governments, and consolidate its structures at the grassroots level in preparation for upcoming political events.

For the state’s 2027 elections, the governor pledged to collaborate with the party leadership to build a powerful APC, and each senatorial chairman provided an in-depth appraisal of the happenings in his district.

The APC chairman of the Aniocha South local government area and the coordinating chairman of party chairmen in the Delta North senatorial district, Mr. Norbert Sochukwudinma, arranged for Oborevwori to meet with his Delta North chairmen penultimate Friday.

Ibori and Okowa in the unfolding drama

Nwaoboshi stated clearly that Ibori was present when he spoke to Omo-Agege and would be surprised if Omo-Agege discounted his counsel.

Ibori has not said anything. He probably won’t, considering how silent he has been about political affairs in the state ever since Oborevwori succeeded Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa in 2023.

Oborevwori wasn’t the first to make Ibori tight-lipped. Okowa did when he renounced his intention to present David Edevbie as his successor in the latter part of his last tenure. Senator Okowa preferred the incumbent governor.

As a member of the same Delta Central senatorial district as the governor, Ibori has exerted no political influence over Oborevwori since he became the state’s chief executive. However, Ibori is acknowledged as his political leader by Oborevwori, who was once his advisor.

In the 2023 governorship election, Okowa backed Oborevwori and is thought to be the governor’s political mentor, whereas Ibori backed Omo-Agege.

Despite Ibori’s close relationship with President Tinubu, the president is aware that he does not currently hold political authority in the state. He notes Okowa’s strength and that without him, the state’s PDP’s transition to the APC would not have been flawless.

While Ibori is thought to have stayed with Omo-Agege, Okowa is working with Oborevwori to get his second-term ticket.

Curiously, Tinubu kept his private conversations with the governor and his subsequent defection secret from Omo-Agege, who was then the leader of the APC in Delta State. Omo-Agege was taken by surprise when Oborevwori joined the Delta APC and assumed leadership of the organization.

Revolt

Senator Nwaoboshi confirmed to Saturday Vanguard that indeed, there was a gang-up against Omo-Agege in the Delta APC shortly after Tinubu came to office.

He alleged that some officials in the presidency blackmailed Omo-Agege, and since Tinubu took charge, they have denied him his rights as a leader of the party.

Before Oborevwori joined APC, the Delta chapter had two parallel factions, one led by Omo-Agege and the other by Festus Keyamo (SAN), the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development. The Keyamo faction had the ears of President Tinubu and used the opportunity to its advantage before Oboerevwori defected to the APC in late April.

At different points in time, Chief Great Ogboru, the state’s serial gubernatorial candidate, and Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, the state’s first APC leader and former gubernatorial candidate, were subjected to the strict leadership of the former DSP.

Oborevwori demonstrated his dominance by declaring that he had dissolved the two factions and assumed leadership of the APC on April 28.

Keyamo and others had since accepted Oborevwori’s leadership and his 2027 ambition.

Omo-Agege acting true to character

Only those unaccustomed to Omo-Agege’s political style will accuse him of disruptive behavior. He is a hard fighter and does not see Oborevwori as a better politician than him to occupy the Government House.

It would have been out of character for him to concede the 2027 APC gubernatorial ticket to Governor Oborevwori for a straight second tenure without a fight, as many have beseeched him. The former DSP spares no punches in his battles and fights to finish.

He contested the PDP gubernatorial primary against the former governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, who resigned his position as Secretary to the State Government (SSG) in 2006 to run for governor.

Even when he knew he was from the same Delta Central senatorial district as Ibori, he was prepared to succeed him as governor in 2007, contrary to the senatorial power rotation arrangement that Ibori preached.

He beat other PDP Central gubernatorial aspirants in the primaries conducted by an Urhobo political pressure group, the Urhobo Political Forum (UPF), headed by a veteran politician, Chief Ighoyota Amori, at the time, to emerge as the Delta Central choice.

He left the PDP some years after Uduaghan assumed office as governor, contesting the January 6, 2011, governorship rerun election in the state as candidate of the Republican Party of Nigeria, RPN, and the April 26, 2011 gubernatorial polls on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria, CAN, and lost to the then governor.

In 2015, he won the Delta Central senatorial seat on the platform of the Labour Party (LP), powered in the state by Chief Great Ogboru. In 2017, he defected to the APC.

Omo-Agege was re-elected senator in 2019 and astonishingly emerged as the deputy senate president on June 11, 2019. He would have effortlessly gotten a third tenure in 2023, but he wanted to govern the state.

After helping Ogboru to secure the APC governorship ticket in 2019, he practically chased the people’s general out of the APC in 2023 to pick the governorship ticket. Ogboru fled to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

The outspoken politician was set to run as the APC governorship candidate in 2027, having worked hard to boost the party’s performance in the 2023 polls, which he lost to Oborevwori.

He saw 2027 as his best chance ever following Tinubu’s disposition to overrun the South-South states. Still, to his consternation, the governor deployed a political masterstroke, negotiating and sealing his 2027 ticket directly with President Tinubu.

Whatever deal Oborevwori struck with Tinubu regarding 2027 is still unknown to the ex-DSP. However, given his history, he never backs down from a fight. (Saturday Vanguard)