SaharaReporters gathered that a deep division in the party created the crisis, leading to the boycott of last week’s inauguration of the Omo-Agege governorship campaign council in Asaba, the state capital.
A fresh crisis is said to be rocking the Delta state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC), following what party members termed as 'highhandedness, divide and rule and self-centeredness and dictatorship' on the part of the party's governorship candidate and deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, SaharaReporters has learnt.
SaharaReporters gathered that a deep division in the party created the crisis, leading to the boycott of last week’s inauguration of the Omo-Agege governorship campaign council in Asaba, the state capital.
The minister of state for labour and employment and spokesman for Bola Tinubu APC presidential campaign council, Festus Keyamo; former minister of state for petroleum resources, Ibe Kachukwu; former executive director of projects, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Cairo Ojougboh; former speaker, Delta state house of Assembly, Victor Ochei; executive director, business development of the Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), Stella Okotete and former executive director projects, NDDC, Samuel Adjogbe were among the party leaders who boycotted the inauguration of the Omo-Agege's governorship campaign council.
Also, conspicuously absent was a former commissioner in the state, Alex Ideh and the senator representing Delta North senatorial district, Peter Nwaoboshi, a close ally of Omo-Agege. But sources close to Nwaoboshi said he is indisposed and receiving medical treatment in a health facility in the country while an APC source disclosed that the federal lawmaker who was convicted and sentenced by the Court of Appeal Lagos Division for money laundering was already serving his seven years jail term.
SaharaReporters observed that despite the crack in the party and the absence of the party's aggrieved leaders, during the inauguration of the Omo-Agege governorship campaign council, the positions of vice chairmen in the campaign council were still reserved for Festus Keyamo, Victor Ochei, Cairo Ojougboh and Alex Ideh.
Some members of the party who spoke on the condition of anonymity told SaharaReporters described the governorship candidate as a dictator.
They described the fresh crisis rocking the party as connected to the alleged highjack of all the party's structures in the state from ward to national level during the last congresses of the party among other yet-to-be-resolved issues which made the party's governorship candidate in the 2019 general elections, Great Ogboru and Pat Utomi to leave the party.
Speaking with SaharaReporters, one of the party's aggrieved leaders who boycotted the inauguration of the governorship campaign council, said, "We are not and cannot be part of Omo-Agege governorship campaign council. Omo-Agege is a dictator, he thinks he owns the APC in the state. He's too self-centred. He believes in divide and rule and larger than life. We are watching him and we will see how he will become the governor come 2023. Please I am speaking to you in confidence. We have our own plans when the time is ripe, Deltans will hear."
Meanwhile, in another development, Festus Okubor, the chief strategist to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, took a swipe at Omo-Agege, describing him as "a stooge of the clueless and inept Buhari government”.
Okubor also described Omo-Agege as the senator infamous for the scandalous theatrics of mace rustling and disappearance.
He said, “A rejected candidate evidenced by the way the few APC leaders existing in the state boycotted the inauguration of his campaign council. We watched the Delta APC governorship candidate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege taking a swipe at the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa-led government in Asaba during the inauguration of his campaign council.
"Typical of a man fixated with rabble-rousing, Omo-Agege as usual degenerated low to cast baseless aspersions on the administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, spewing crude vulgarities, unbecoming of one occupying the office of deputy senate president. A deputy senate president in office only for his family and his tiny cohorts. He rode on the shoulders of PDP leaders and founding fathers in the state, including Okowa to gain whatever political relevance and patronage he has today.
“In a disastrous attempt to sound politically correct, Omo-Agege took a meaningless swipe at the state PDP governorship candidate Rt. Hon Sheriff Oborevwori.
"An accessible grassroots politician, far ahead of him in rating and electoral value. The stark reality is that beyond Omo-Agege’s empty boastfulness and grandstanding in 2023 gubernatorial polls, he would be deflated and defeated. The party under him is wobbling, heavily factionalized with its few members after his coronation as a candidate, alienated and generally frustrated by his rigid leadership style, a one-man show.”
“This explains why the few APC leaders existing in the state boycotted the inauguration of Omo-Agege’s campaign council. They all rejected him because they know he is not a team player and a sellable candidate," Okubor stated.