Five years after maize was allegedly stolen at Nigeria’s red chamber, a faction of the All Progressives Congress in the Delta Central Senatorial District, has suspended the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, over his alleged role in the incident.
The faction urged the national secretariat of the APC to ratify its decision.
The Vice-Chairman of the Delta Central Senatorial District, Sir Michael Oruafe, confirmed the development in a statement issued in Abuja on Monday.
He said the executive of the party in the Senatorial District was already in possession of the receipt of Omo-Agege’s expulsion from his ward.
Oruafe said Omo-Agege, who is the candidate of the APC in the just concluded Governorship Election in Delta State, did not appeal seven days after he was expelled.
He said the Local Government had to approve the expulsion, and forwarded it to the state.
However, Omo-Agege, through his media aide, Ima Niboro, has described the suspension as fake.
He told our Correspondent that the people who announced the suspension were unknown to the party in the state.
He said, “The suspension is fake. You know this is not the executive committee of the State Chapter.
“No one knows who these people are. There are no factions in Delta APC.”
But Oruafe said, “We are calling on the national leadership of the party to approve Omo-Agege’s expulsion immediately without delay.
“This development shouldn’t in anyway affect members of the party, they should go about their normal business, as the call is for the benefit of the state party.
Oruafe listed Omo-Agege’s offenses to include among others, the alleged Senate Maize theft in the Eight National Assembly
He also accused the APC candidate of hijacking the party from the ward to the state and personally appointed the Publicity Secretary without consultation with anybody in the state.
He further alleged that “All the funds sent to the state during the presidential, Senate and governorship elections, was not used for the purpose it was meant for. “
He said, “Omo-Agege entered an unholy alliance with the Labour Party during the presidential election with the understanding that they will vote for him during the governorship.
“This action, which we found distasteful, affected the party’s chances in the state.
“His alleged link with Igbe confraternity we noticed angered the Church.
“This is because the Igbe confraternity was campaigning for him, the Church stopped campaigning for him. This development affected APC chances in Delta State.
“His attitude was another factor that angered the Delta APC.
“All projects coming from the Federal Government were sited in his Senatorial District, Delta Central and other districts never benefitted.
“Another issue that affected APC chances was the Maze issue, which the people in the state were not comfortable with. This is also one of the reasons the state didn’t vote the him.
“He led the party in Delta North and the entire state into disrepute, opprobrium, and hate, resulting in the abysmal performance of the APC in the Governorship of February 18, 2023.
“He boasted that Delta North will never get anything from the state if he becomes the governor.
“He created animosity among the ethnic groups, a development that caused disaffection and disunity among members of the APC family in the state.”
