•Olorogun Emerhor, Senator Omo-Agege combat for 2023 unsettles party
•Ogboru takes charge, wants quick resolution of crises
•Uduaghan steps in to avert looming implosion

By Emma Amaize, Regional Editor, South-South and Perez Brisibe (Ughelli)

THAT the All Progressives Congress, APC, national leadership shepherded by a former Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, settled on Chief Great Ogboru as the party’s gubernatorial candidate In Delta State long before the October 1 governorship primary at Asaba, the state capital, is no longer a testimonial of assumption. It is the undressed reality.
That the other governorship aspirants, former Speaker of the Delta House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Victor Ochei, renowned political economist, Prof Patrick Utomi and former Deputy National Chairman of rival Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, all from Delta North senatorial district were enraged over the procedure is also no longer news. The party showed no respect for the Anioma ethinc nationality and that appears their undoing even before votes are cast in 2019. Only Ojougboh bottled up his fury for now.
•From left to right: Senator Omo-Agege, Olorogun O’Tega Emerhor and Chief Great Ogboru at a reception in honour of Omo-Agege.

Oshiomhole, Ogboru not the problem
You may not lock blame Oshiomhole, a one-time national chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, for the uncanny situation because appropriately or erroneously, he acted on strategic report from some professed power brokers of the party in the state that Ogboru is the big and strong weapon required to kick out the ruling PDP in the state.

Oshiomhole wants to take over Delta for APC and if Ogboru could be used to chase the PDP out of Government House, Asaba in 2019, he does not mind. However, Ogboru’s emergence, whichever way it came, is not the thorniest problem besetting the party.
A privileged party chieftain, who de-constructed the high wired intrigues confided in Saturday Vanguard: “APC in Delta state has quite a lot of extremists and schemers. At the outset, it was a battle of people aiming at 2019. Many, including Ochei, Ojougboh and Utomi, all from North senatorial district wanted to be governor in 2019 and worked towards it.”

“But after the primaries, it zeroed down to Ogboru from the Central senatorial district (Urhobo), who had contested in basically all gubernatorial elections in the state since 1999 without winning,” he added.
The real trouble is 2023 manoeuvring
Our findings showed that the bitter contention between the 2015 gubernatorial candidate of the party and its unquestionable founding leader, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor and Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, who are busy positioning themselves for 2023 governorship, is the principal threat to the party’s continued existence in the state.

According to the party leader, “The absorbing thing is that Emerhor wants to be governor in 2023, so also Omo-Agege, both are from Central senatorial district like Ogboru. But APC leaders in Central had deliberately feigned no knowledge of the unwritten governorship rotation modus -operandi in the state by the PDP, which so far had seen the Central and South districts take their respective turns of eight years each, while North on the verge of completing its eight years if the incumbent governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa wins in 2019 and governs up to 2023 when by the understanding, power will return once again to Urhobo ethnic nationality.”

Purported Ogboru/Omo-Agege feud
Both Ogboru and Omo-Agege dismissed the issue of bad blood between them when contacted by Saturday Vanguard, but multiple sources in the party informed that there was a cold war between them because of the latter’s bid to be in command by putting structures in place at the House of Assembly primaries for apparent reasons.

But, our knowledgeable source hinted: “The fight between Ogboru and Omo-Agege now is a 2023 issue, Ogboru will not mouth it, but he feels Omo-Agege wants to install people, especially in the House of Assembly that will make him (Ogboru) not go beyond 2023 if he happens to win the 2019 election.”
“The cold war between Ogboru and Omo-Agege, especially as regards the party’s candidates for House of Assembly, is the fear of Omo-Agege’s loyalists plotting to impeach Ogboru if he emerges as governor,” he added.

How Emerhor lost out

Like Omo-Agege, Emerhor, who contested the governorship election as APC flag bearer in 2015 against Okowa and Ogboru on the other hand as the Labour Party gubernatorial standard bearer, is not really scheming for 2019. He went into the senatorial contest against Omo-Agege out of anger. Though top APC leaders insinuate that he was working with Okowa to ensure his second term so that he (governor) would support him in 2023, Saturday Vanguard found the claim implausible.

Emerhor’s group incurred the wrath of Oshiomhomle when it authored a statement spoke against the endorsement of the former Edo governor to take over from Odigie- Oyegun as national chairman shortly after an APC South-South meeting held at the Edo State Government House.

“Omo-Agege’s full-bodied struggle for Ogboru to contest in 2019 is viewed as an effort to show him all probable fidelity now because he would demand his shore up in 2023 when the governorship would unarguably spin again to Central district.
According to our source: “Ogboru’s people (Labour Party defectors) had the belief that they are the people that will be in control for APC to win, because whether you like it or not, they have a senator, they have Ogboru, a politician with cult-like devotees. By holding on to Oyegun when it was obvious that his tenure was not going to be elongated, Emerhor lost out, as Ogboru group had cleverly snatched the state chairman, Prophet Jones Erue, who is from South senatorial district from him. And when eventually Oshiomhole emerged, like a hurricane, he unfastened all Oyegun put in place in Delta.”

Touchy power sharing formula

Saturday Vanguard learned that the Labour Party camp negotiated a certain percentage to be ceded to in the state executive of APC on defection, but the Emerhor camp kept everything to itself, which was why Omo-Agege was dead set against.

But a source familiar with the deal said: “Emerhor actually agreed to the sharing formula in three ways between himself, Ogboru and Ochei, but Ogboru declined gunning for the total dissolution of the Erue -led executive which was at this time, still in good accord with Emerhor.”

He said: “Ogboru got 35 percent, Emerhor and the old APC structure got 50 percent, while the nPDP alongside Ochei and his crew got 15 percent. Ogboru also got 35 percent in Delta Central, 15 percent in Delta North, Ochei and others from the new PDP in Delta North got 35 percent, while in Delta South, Ogboru got 30 percent, old APC group 50 percent, Chief Ayiri Emami and his group got 20 percent.”

“However, Ogboru did not accept the offer because his group suspected it could get everything with the suit seeking the total dissolution of the Erue- led executive and the setting up of a caretaker committee, which did not scale through with the court upholding the executive,” he explained.

…fallout with Erue

With the new twist of events and his stance on a Delta North guber candidate, Emerhor felt the need for the Central district to produce the chairman of the party, but Ogboru and Omo-Agege capitalized on it to pitch tent with Erue, who was seeking to retain his position as chairman of the party if Ogboru emerged as guber candidate. This was what led to the spat with Emerhor
Fight back.

The party leader revealed, “At this point, Emerhor group went on wall-to-wall offensive. In fact, everything in the party is parallel, factional state chairman, factional state secretary, etc. The group holds the opinion that Ogboru also emerged through an unacceptable governorship primary, which was why it went to court to stop Oshiomhole and the party from presenting list of candidates for 2019 elections.”

What they could not cover up

Independent inquiry by Saturday Vanguard showed that indeed, the political interests of Ogboru and Omo-Agege were palpable, as aspirants were pitched against themselves after the primaries based on the leaning with the two leaders.

Names of some of the aspirants that emerged as candidates of the party were calculatedly substituted based on political alignment with the leaders. In some of the primaries, names were out rightly announced as winners though delegates waited in vain for the exercise that was never conducted.

This embarrassing situation was unambiguous in the Uvwie/Okpe and Sapele Federal Constituency primary, which had the immediate past Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya and ousted chairman of Uvwie local government council, Henry Baro, as major contenders.

…Igbuya/Baro face-off

While the Omo-Agege propensity wanted Baro to emerge as House of Representatives candidate in Uvwie, the home base of the PDP candidate for Delta South senatorial candidate, Hon Evelyn Oboro, the Ogboru predilection wanted Igbuya.

Though Igbuya’s name was reported to have been accepted as the party’s candidate, the in-house scuffle was taken to Omo-Agege sphere of influence in Ughelli North and Ughelli South, as well as Udu federal constituency, which had already produced Rev. Ejiro Waive as winner of the primary after defeating his closest contender, Julius Akpovoka.

Confirming plots to usurp his name with Akpovoka, Waive in a statement, had stated that two days after the conduct of the primary, delegates have been inundated with frivolous text messages by losers inviting them for a so-called re-run. He said: “We state unequivocally that we shall vehemently resist any attempt to cancel a free and fair election which we have won.”

…Jaro Egbo/Anaughe tango

In Ughelli, two aspirants, Jaro Egbo, who served as Senior Special Assistant on NDDC matters to the Delta State Governor during the Uduaghan administration and Moses Anaughe, a personal aide to Omo-Agege are in contention for Ughelli constituency II.
While Anaughe, who has the imprimatur of a divide in the Ogboru/Omo-Agege political dynasty was announced winner of the primary, Egbo with the backing of another, received a heroic welcome from Abuja after his name was reportedly presented as the party’s candidate.

Egbo while addressing the crowd that came to welcome him, said: “When they got the news that God has interceded and that I have been given the ticket, they decided to arrange this welcome party for me.”

…Edojah/Agoda rumble

For Ethiope federal constituency, two former members of the House of Representatives, Olorogun Solomon Edojah and Chief Halims Agoda claimed to have emerged victorious in the primary with Agoda expressing hope on the final report of the National Appeal Panel will favour him. Edojah, who served as Special Assistant to Uduaghan has the support of Ogboru, while Agoda has the blessings of Omo-Agege.

…Odili, Akpodubakeye in Ndokwa, Warri
Same happened to Mr. Paul Odili, a former Communications Manager to Uduaghan, whose name was substituted after winning the Ndokwa/Ukwuani federal constituency primary. It was later corrected in Abuja.
Winner of APC, House of Assembly primary, in Warri South-West local government area, Delta State, Jude Akpodubakaye, also cried out that there was underground move by top leaders of the party in the state to unilaterally annul his victory.

Uduaghan troubleshooting moves

Saturday Vanguard learned that Oshiomhole, who is not naive of the gambits, had mandated the former governor of the state, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, who is the party’s South senatorial district flag bearer to manage the crises before it goes beyond control.

An insider told this reporter: “Dr Uduaghan has proved why he is referred to as crisis manager. He has been doing everything to calm frayed nerves and make everybody understand the need to be united; otherwise APC will lose shamefully in 2019.”

He squealed: “Uduaghan had warned that if we do not take care, we are not going to win in the state, so he is managing the process, insisting that everybody who won on ground should not be substituted.”

“Uduaghan is experienced in this kind of thing, the party is getting stable with his presence, he has been talking to all sides, including Ogboru and Omo-Agege on the need for inclusive harmonization between all the factions, whether Emerhor/Ogodo or Ogboru/Omo Agege. He has kept hammering that they should not forget that APC does not have a single councilor or chairmanship position in the state and if they continue to fight, they will all be the losers,” he added.

Ogboru takes control

The privileged source asserted: “There was indeed a conflict between Agege and Ogboru, but when you are the gubernatorial candidate in a state, the party gives you a lot of leverage. However, I can tell you that they have ironed it out especially with the way Uduaghan handled the situation. Ogboru has taken control of the party now, even the issue of the state executive; they are going address it. There is problem, but the crisis is not irretrievable, it is being addressed.”

How to get Emerhor back

“Let me tell you, the hullabaloo is really between Emerhor and Omo-Agege, once they resolve, peace will return to APC. So, the major challenge now is to get Emerhor to forgive and come back to the mainstream instead of running a parallel structure. “But nobody should lose sleep about that, he is not going to leave the party, they will talk to him, he has many things he is benefiting from in the party and will not run off. His man is well situated in the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, and things are happening.

Ochei won’t go either

“Also, do not bother about Ochei, he will not abandon the party, though he went to court over the primary, whichever way it goes, Amaechi, who is the Director General of the President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organization is his man, he will settle him, even if it means a federal appointment,” he said.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/11/inside-delta-apc-real-reasons-for-unending-commotion/

Issues resolved PDP start packing

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