APC Crisis Deepens in Delta over Omo-Agege/Ogboru Attempt to Frustrate Direct Primaries

By Sylvester Idowu in Warri

The factional crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) Delta State has taken a new dimension as a pro-Omo-Agege and Great Ogboru groups have allegedly rejected the proposed direct primaries in the state.

The group under the auspices of “APC Electoral Watch Group in Delta State,” were said to have raised some ‘spurious’ allegations against the conduct of the direct primaries in the state.

They alleged that the direct primaries directed by the NEC, would lead  to breakdown of law and order in the state.

The Ogboru/Agege faction had allegedly engaged an association, “APC Electoral Watch Group in Delta State,” to petition the Inspector General of Police, alleging that direct primary would lead to commotion and bloodbath in Delta State.

They also alleged that the parallel APC faction and Executives led by

Olorogun O’tega Emerhor/Chief Cyril Ogodo were moles in Delta APC who were currently collaborating with the PDP state government and were planning to disrupt any planned direct primaries in order to ensure Chief Great Ogboru did not emerge the APC governorship candidate and/or that Delta APC did not produce any governorship candidate to challenge  Governor Okowa.

The petitions to the Inspector General of Police, IGP and AIG Zone 5 Benin dated August 14th, August 20th and 21st 2018 were signed by their counsel, Messers Itse Elijah Wilkie, of the Wilkie Law Firm.

In one of the petitions obtained by THISDAY entitled: ‘State Sponsored Thuggery, Harassment, Brutalisation, and Threats of Assassination of opponents of Delta State Government’.

they further alleged that part of the, “plot is to instigate commotion in any public event where any of their targets is and exploit the confusion in killing their  target.”

Also, in another of the petition dated August 20 , 2018 to the

Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 5 Benin, they appeal to

the AIG, to write a Security report to, “the appropriate quarters

including The Presidency, The National Chairman, APC, Abuja and The

Directorate of State Security to the effect that: Direct Primaries

will be very Bloody if the Congresses in Delta led to several persons

being killed.”

“There are already reports of mass acquisition of firearm by

politicians and thugs to be used and deployed for the evil plot; Ubeji

town in Warri South local government is a warehouse of arms for one

senatorial aspirant under the platform of PDP.

In Uvwie, the Effurun garage is the warehouse of arms of PDP for the

upcoming elections.

Citing the case of attack on Senator Omo-Agege while consulting his

constituenst at Effurun market, they urged the IGP, to overhaul the

police leadership in the state.

They also called on the IGP to provide special police interventionist

units to supervise the party primaries and the general election and

also “provide security escort drawn from force headquarters for Chief

Great Ogboru.

“Recall that Senator Ovie Omo-Agege on July 20th, 2018, supervised the

conduct of Direct Primary for the Osun State APC governorship race,

where he stated when declaring the result at the party’s secretariat

in Osogbo and was quoted to have said; “Direct Primary adopted

provided a level playing field for all aspirants. Political analysts

are shocked that the same Senator is now in the forefront of scuttling

direct primaries in Delta State”.

But a chieftain of the party who reacted to the allegations under

condition of anonymity, said: “Omo-Agege and Ogboru are afraid that

should direct primaries be adopted, their chances at the primary is

very slim, unlike when delegate is used which they would handpick,

since they assume then now hold the recognised structure in state.

“What they are doing is not too different from what a number of APC

state governors who are afraid of direct primary are doing: fighting

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and national Chairman Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

“The difference in this Ogboru/Omo-Agege fight is too ingeniously and

dubiously hide under security threat to hoodwink Oshiomhole to approve

that indirect primaries be adopted for Delta state.

“They are determined to, through these petitions blackmail the party’s

National Chairman and security agencies into accepting that there are

special and unique security threats in Delta state and by so doing,

the party will be force to do their bidding by conducting delegate

(indirect) primaries which they believe is the only way they can

become the governorship and senatorial candidates of APC in Delta

state in the 2019 elections.

Meanwhile, Omo-Agege has denied the allegations contained in the

petition, saying it was the hand work of mischief makers and

blackmailers.

In a statement issued in reaction to the allegations signed by Hon

Billy Egbe on behalf of Omo-Agege media department, said that the

petition was targeted to pitch the trio against the national chairman,

Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and the NWC of the party.

The statement read, “all persons of decent behavior know that the trio

of Chief Ogboru, Senator Omo-Agege and Prophet Jones are very

responsible leaders who would never go against any constitutional or

lawful decision duly taken by our party or any organized body to which

they belong.

“We affirm the truth that Ogboru, Omo-Agege and Erue are loyal and

committed to the current right leadership of our great party under the

Comrade National Chairman and bound by its decision.