By Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe Esq.
It is a well-known fact in Delta politics, that the All Progressives Congress, APC, only exist on social media platforms and on the pages of newspapers, but certainly not on ground, and obviously not having any social contract with Deltans.
It is also common knowledge that Delta APC was and still bedevilled by internal leadership crisis which gave birth to several factions; the Ogboru APC-Labour Party faction, to which DSP Ovie Omo-Agege belong from 2015 to 2019, before pulling out to form the Agege faction.
The emergence of DSP Agege’s faction in Delta APC, was a deliberate move and strategy to completely relegate his political godfather, Chief Great Ogboru, to the dustbin of political history in Delta Central Senatorial District, and by extension, to weaken and to phase out the Ogboru, Emerhor, the Okotie-Eboh factions, and install DSP Agege as the political monarch and “Emperor” of Delta APC.
And of a truth, DSP Agege has emerged as the political Monarch and Emperor of Delta APC, as can be seen from the results of the party’s state Congress wherein his political Adviser, Chief Omeni Sobotie emerged as Chairman along with other key loyalists.
The combined efforts of Ogboru, Emerhor and Keyamo, could not stop the oppressive capacity of their party’s Emperor from relegating them to the background at the just concluded state congress. I see multiple legal battles ahead of 2023 elections within Delta APC.
The Olorogun Otega Emerhor faction, also known as the Mainstream Delta APC, had the outgoing Chairman, Prophet Jones Erue, as the deputy head of caucus from 2013 to 2018, and was replaced by his deputy, Chief Cyril Ogodo, after Erue was bought over by the Agege team, to add credibility to the new emerging political force within the state chapter.
The strategy paid off as Emerhor later submitted to the political supremacy of DSP Agege. This was exactly what I predicted to Emerhor at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, the day Agege and Ogboru joined APC in Abuja. In fact, I wept for Emerhor that faithful day. And the rest is now history.
Thus, Emerhor’s mainstream faction began to suffer major setbacks as DSP Agege, consistently bought his (Emerhor) political footsoldiers and core loyalists. Ogboru’s core loyalists also fell for the Deputy President of the Senate. The likes of Prince Efe Duku Esq of Ogboru hall of fame, Hon Omasan Agbajor Esq of Otegability, and others joined Agege’s faction. And because of the justle for juicy political appointments at the federal level by Delta APC leaders and party faithfuls, DSP Agege successfully used his position to dislodge Chief Ogboru and Emerhor, to become the owner and emperor of Delta APC, and in no time Emerhor bowed to the new political and leadership status of DSP Agege, except Ogboru who is patiently waiting to take his pound of flesh.
Let me quickly add this; Emerhor is an excellent Board Room professional, a God fearing and kind hearted wealthy business tycoon, easygoing and humble to a fault, but certainly not a good political strategist. I say this with due respect to him, and it should be viewed as “food for thought.”
DSP Agege is more like it – a typical Nigerian politician. He is very crafty, dogged, stubborn and can be very brutal in every means possible to attain his political ambition. The maize snatching scenario in the Red Chambers allegedly linked to him can be a good reference. He used Chief Ogboru extensively to get to the Senate, schemed through the Buharists and became DSP. Waoooo! Smart guy, right?
He looked down the political ladder and behold Chief Ogboru was downstairs waiting to be taken up by DSP Agege as planned, but to no avail. Ogboru had a bitter taste of Agege’s swag of “use and dump” strategy. He is now on top in the ranking of Delta APC faction leaders; followed by the Ogboru faction, next is the not very visible faction of Olorogun Emerhor, the Delta APC Mainstream.
The fourth emerging faction in recent time, is obviously the Festus Keyamo Caucus. Though radical and focused, it will certainly have problems overtaking DSP Agege’s faction because of the weak or almost nonexistent political structures, other than media propaganda and press statements. Keyamo is a paper tiger and political communication strategist, but certainly not a grassroots mobilizer and not a deep rooted politician.
It follows that in 2023, Delta APC will prosecute the governorship election as a confused and fragmented political sub units. Chief Ogboru will certainly demand his pound of flesh from DSP Agege, the same vigour with which he assisted him to get to the Senate. Reason is that Ogboru will run again in 2023, but not under APC and his core PINEAPPLE loyalists will certainly go with him except EFE DUKU Esq, and few others.
Olorogun Emerhor may also spring surprises, which may further deflate DSP Agege’s governorship ambition. There can never be any genuine reconciliation between Ogboru, Agege and Emerhor in Delta APC. Major stakeholders in Delta politics can tell you for free why it is impossible for unity to exist between these three complicated political contractors.
The Festus Keyamo elites faction will heavily deploy the efficacy of media politics to amputate DSP Agege’s tall governorship ambition. And when they finally reconcile few weeks to the election, DSP Agege will not still get the votes from the loyalists and supporters of the leaders of the other factions. It happened to some extent in 2019, and it will be near zero for Agege in 2023, majority of his party members will not vote for him.
The last straw that will break the camel’s back will come from PDP, the real party Deltans are in love with. The Okowa political hurricane will sweep DSP Agege into political uncertainties, far beyond his comprehension. The Delta Political Vanguard cum the entire PDP Delta family will crash Agege painfully in 2023. His position as DSP will become meaningless after the announcement of governorship election results in Delta State.
PDP will sweep the polls in Delta because of the good governance and achievements of Okowa administration. PDP shall win overwhelmingly because the APC is only on social media in Delta, not on ground. Check results of all past bye elections in the state, and you will see the blurred political future of Delta APC, come 2023.
The end result? DSP Agege’s political status and ego shall be deflated in 2023, his large security details shall return to base, he will neither be Senator Representing Delta Central nor anywhere near the description of governor of any state in Nigeria, come 2023.
All his DSP shakara and Gra-gra will come to an end, and a humble and speechless Augustine Ovie Omo-Agege, will respectfully return to Orogun town, in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.
In summary, Agege will be humbled in 2023 by the political supremacy of PDP Delta, the party in power, under the able leadership of the state Governor, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, and State Party Chairman, Chief Kingsley Esiso Esq. I so submit!
