Move To Endorse Ogboru As APC’s Consensus Guber Candidate In Delta State Fails

***He Was Endorsed, Says Ogboru’s Aide

Fresh crisis is rocking the main opposition party in Delta State, the All Progressive Congress, APC, as move by leaders of Light of APC, a pressure group in Delta APC to get APC local government chairmen to endorse Chief Great Ogboru as the party’s sole governorship candidate in 2019 elections failed to sail through according to Advocate, an online news source.
ADVOCATE reports that the leaders of Light of APC had planned to use the meeting which was called by Mr. Valentine Egbe-led Delta State APC Chairmen/Secretaries forum to get them to endorse Chief Ogboru as the party candidate and Senator Ovie Omo-Agege as the party’s state leader.

Sources at the meeting which was hosted on Friday in Ogboru’s home at Abraka, revealed that one of the LG Chairmen who was part of the plot, moved a motion for Ogboru’s endorsement as the party’s sole governorship candidate and it was quickly seconded by another.

However, things took a different turn, when some of the LG chairmen who were not aware of the agenda of the meeting hatched another plot, one of them sneakily hijacked the attendance sheet and ran out of the meeting.

Rattled by the unsuspected move of the LG chairman who is alleged to be a loyalist of one of the party leaders, the leadership of Light of APC who had earlier presented N5million as kola nut wedge to the chairmen; with the hope of using the attendance list to publicise the endorsement had to shelve the plan when they could not lay hands on it.

Following the failed move to endorse Ogboru as the party’s governorship candidate and Senator Omo-Agege as the party state leader, the leadership of Mainstream Delta APC, MDA, another pressure group with the state APC leader, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor as their leader moved swiftly by issuing a statement cautioning its members to be wary in attending group meetings.

The statement which was issued by MDA State Coordinator, Chief Alfred Oloko, titled “Important Notice To All MDA Members,” the group cautioned its members to select meetings to attend, stressing that it will nominate candidates for various elective positions including the House of Assembly, the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Governor of the state.

They equally resolved to field candidate to slug it out with Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the senator representing Delta Central senatorial District at the National Assembly, for the party ticket come 2019, saying that the Senator is not an aspirant that MDA supports.

The statement reads in part: “As we all earlier resolved, MDA will field and/or support candidates for each of the elective positions. In particular, MDA will field and or support candidates for all three senatorial seats in the state, including Delta Central.

“It is important to note that the current Senator representing Delta Central, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, although an APC Senator, is a member of Light of APC, and Not a member of MDA and neither an affiliate nor sympathiser thereof. He has also not sought the support of MDA. In the circumstances, the Senator is not an aspirant that MDA supports.

“MDA will soon choose its aspirant for the Senate position in Delta Central and all other positions in the state. This will be done collectively as these will be the aspirants MDA members will support at the coming party primaries.

“In the meantime therefore, MDA members are advised to be wary of joining groups that promote or support the aspirations of any person or persons who are not members of MDA or whose aspirations are antithetical to the interest or ideals of MDA. All should please take note and be guided accordingly.”

A source close to one of the leaders of MDA who spoke under conditions of anonymity stated that the Delta APC senator is not playing his politics right by choosing not to reach out to other stakeholders in the APC in his senatorial zone other than members of Light of APC.

According to him, “ I don’t see why Senator Omo-Agege cannot reach out to Emerhor, after all Emerhor is not running for election; that Omo-Agege is supporting Ogboru’s governorship aspiration does not mean that anyone that holds contrary views becomes his political enemy.

“I want to enjoin Omo-Agege to spread his tentacles because if he emerges as the party’s senatorial candidate for Delta Central, he will need all stakeholders to face the monstrous PDP, but with his current posture, am afraid, if he can approach them if he wins the primaries and if they will be willing to support him fully,” he added.

Reacting to the developments, the Delta State Coordinator of Light of APC, Mr Ossai Abbeh, confirmed the alleged endorsement of Chief Ogboru by 23 LG chairmen of the party.

According to him, “That is public opinion for you. The charisma and attraction of Ogboru to Deltans is well known world over and what happened there is a tip of the iceberg and sample of the public opinion.

While reacting to the statement made by MDA state Coordinator, Chief Alfred Oloko, Abbeh said: “What he said is surprising but everybody is entitled to his view as we are in a democratic system of government. But I wouldn’t want to enter into any debate with him on that.”

Asked if Ogboru would participate in the primaries based on his recent endorsement, he said: “As for the primaries, let’s see what plays out because you have the National Working Committee that takes the ultimate decision on such issue as regards to the party’s constitution.”

Meanwhile following the botched attempt to dethrone Olorogun O’tega Emerhor as the state leader of the APC, the Delta Central LGA Chairmen/Secretaries forum at an emergency meeting held on Wednesday, affirmed Emerhor as the state party leader.

The group which also broke all ties with Mr. Valentine Egbe’s led Delta State Chairmen/Secretaries forum, stated that they are no longer part of the forum or have anything to do with it, noting that the forum has lost its usefulness.

In a resolutions reached and in the Communique signed by Olorogun Ubu Jiminyevwe (P.R.O) the group resolved: “That the Delta Central LGA Chairmen/Secretaries pass a Vote of Confidence on Olorogun O’tega Emerhor (OON) as the Leader of Delta State and Delta Central APC.

“That Olorogun Ovedje Ogboru is only known and recognized by the Delta Central LGA Chairmen/Secretaries forum as an APC member from Ethiope-East LGA, precisely from one of the Abraka Wards, and also one of the rumored Gubernatorial Aspirant for the 2019 contest. Nothing more, nothing else.”

“That the Delta Central LGA Chairman/Secretaries forum advised the Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District, Sen. Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege to work in-line with the existing APC Leaders/Exco’s structures.

“That the Delta Central LGA Chairmen and Secretaries forum, ceased to be part of the Mr. Valentine Egbe’s led Delta State Chairmen/Secretaries forum beginning from this day of publication, and the public should also take note.

Those at the meeting where these resolutions were reached include: Olorogun Felix Ekure, (Chairman); Mr. Joseph Atuyota (Vice-chairman), Comr. Grant Okpako (Secretary), Mrs. Patience Eghubare (Treasurer), Chief Ubu Digbame Jiminyevwe (P.R.O) and Olorogun Lucky Esije.

Others are, Chief Solomon Okpako, Mr. Roji Felix, Comr. Robert Atagbasha Dcn. Isaiah Masheni, Snr. Apst. Gabriel Kpeku, Comr. Christopher Ohwogbona, Comr. Jacob Akpowowo, Mr. Deniran William, Chief Brighton Obiokor and Comr. Egherenoghor Member.

In a related development, 6 LGA APC chairmen in Delta North Senatorial District passed a vote of confidence on Prophet Jones Eruh-led State Executive Committee of the party.

They also pledged their loyalty to all the party leaders across the state, most especially, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor whom they referred to as; “the overall leader of the party in Delta State.”

The statement which was signed by 6 out of 9 APC LGA Chairmen in Delta North, Elder Steve Nwadiaju, Aniocha North; Chief Festus Ojegwu, Aniocha South; Mr Sunday Onyejise, Ika North East; Mr Edwin Okoh, Ika south; Deacon Roland Chukwunedo, Ndokwa East; and Mr David Ochonogor, Ukwani LGA; also passed a vote of no confidence on Chief George Okafor, APC chairman, Delta North.

They equally disassociated themselves from the actions of Chief Okafor frowning at; “the unilateral reception of a new entrant who defected into our party in December 2017, and who was surreptitiously and purportedly adopted as the leader of the party in Delta North without regard to our other esteemed leaders and stakeholders.

“This development has now brought strong ill feelings, mistrust and disaffection among leaders and members of the party in the senatorial district.”

They therefore called for Okafor’s removal as APC chairman in Delta North Senatorial District and appoint an acting chairman in his place, a call the party leadership at the state has yielded to as Okafor was summarily removed and replaced as at the time of fielding this report.

Speaking to Oasis Magazine, OM, one of Ogboru’s media aides during a phone conversation debunked reports that the endorsement of Ogboru did not sail through, adding that his principal was endorsed by 23 of the 25 party heads in the local government areas that make up the state.

According to him, only the chairmen and secretaries of Aniocha North and Ika North were absent at the meeting when his principal was endorsed.

“We thought rather than waste funds during the primaries, knowing fulkybwell thst Ogboru has no match at the primaries, we decided to take this step andveventualky hot 23 of the 25 LAG Chairmen to endorse him (Ogboru).

“I am not aware of any of the chairmen sneaking out with any list. Also, vontrarybto rumours, my boss is in good terms with the state party Chairman, Prophet Jones Erue,” he said.