Ovie Omo-Agege: Down But Not Out

By Annabel Ogheneganre

The 2023 gubernatorial election in Delta State has been won and lost. The Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori of the PDP is the governor-elect having secured victory in 21 out of 25 local government areas of the state, polling over 360,000 votes while his major challenger, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege polled about 240,000 votes to place second with clear victory in 4 local government areas. Senator Omo-Agege’s performance fell below expectations of his fans and supporters. Many who staked their career, jobs and resources got wounded almost mortally at the end of the day. His supporters thought he sealed all the loopholes and expected him to win. The defections from the PDP ahead of the polls clearly indicated the degree of trust and confidence in his candidature. But the outcome broke many hearts.

I recall that shortly after the elections, precisely on March 26th when this writer went to the village to see Mama before returning to Abuja, a little nephew of about 5 years old ran up to me to ask whether Senator Ovie Omo-Agege was now governor of the state, I answered in the negative and he felt really bad. I asked my mother why the little boy could ask such a question and I was told the children in the neighbourhood believed Omo-Agege was going to be the next governor and that their teachers explained to them that everybody was going to vote for Omo-Agege. It was a very traumatizing experience for many but real.

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Since after the election, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has maintained an unusual silence. That, I suppose, is a political strategy. Everything is not about noise making. If I were in a position to advise the PDP, I would suggest they should not take Ovie Omo-Agege for granted. The man is apparently a wounded lion. Governor Ifeanyi Okowa stole the show and Ovie Omo-Agege will go any length to prove a point. The man may have lost the election but the matter is not over, not yet until the Supreme Court seal the victory for any of the candidate. Ovie Omo-Agege is down but not out. He can spring surprises and the signs are ominous.

APC is warming Up to Something: Delta state is a PDP state no doubt but Nigeria was a PDP nation for 16 years until 2015 when the table turned and APC took over. Chief James Onanefe Ibori may have found a new lease of life in the APC with the emergence of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as President-elect. The drama in Port-Harcourt when Tinubu visited spoke volumes. With Ibori as national leader of the APC, the terrain could be rough for PDP in the coming months. The scrambles for appointments have deafened the ears of many political players to the din and ominous signs in the horizon. 2023 general election is far from over. Ibori knows the game. Hard tackles are on the way and the mightier force shall carry the day.
Deltans should get this clear. Anything can happen at the tribunal. The fact that Omo-Agege won clearly in 4 out of 25 LGAs does not detract from the possibility of being declared winner. Assuming we have 10 LGAs and candidate A scores simple majority in 8 LGAs while candidate B scores simple majority in 2, candidate B can still win if at the end of the day, candidate A’s victory in the 8 LGAs aggregates 800 votes while B has 821 votes. This is possible when in the 8 LGAs candidate A won, the difference is say 2,1,8,2,2,9,1 and 8 making a total of 33 votes while the difference in candidate B’s advantage in the two LGAs he won is 42 and 12 making a total of 54. That alone has overwhelmed candidate A’s advantage in the 8 LGAs. So when people say 4 cannot swallow 21 with reference to the 2023 general elections, they say so out of ignorance of the working of the mathematical quotient of electoral victory. Let the courts decide.

Oborevwori and his cabinet: To offload the tag of Okowa’s third term on the neck of Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, the governor-elect must deploy wisdom in handling those Okowa’s key men that played dominant roles in the out-going administration. They must not be too visible in the coming administration. The likes of Hillary Obegbulem, Dr Kingsley Emu, Festus Ovie Agas, Patrick Ukah, Ifeanyi Eboigbe, Askiah Ogieh, Michael Diden and their likes should recede into the background, to play advisory roles while Sheriff Oborevwori discovers and empowers new millionaires particularly from his Urhobo land. Most of these elements have been so empowered and stupendously loaded that their loyalty to Sheriff Oborevwori may be difficult to secure.
In fact those commissioners who served for the two tenures of Governor Okowa should be offloaded. Only those who came in during Okowa’s second tenure may be reconsidered. This writer may not be an expert in political science but basic knowledge of the streets from where Sheriff derives his political strength is necessary towards the success of his administration. There is nothing else these people who have served for 8 years under Okowa can offer. The Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori must try fresh ideas with new hands. Nobody owns the monopoly of wisdom and knowledge in governance.

Mistake or Miracle: Many are of the view that Senator Ovie Omo-Agege should have run for another term in the senate so as to be well positioned for the Senate Presidency instead of Governor of Delta state. However, most people in this school of thought never wished Omo-Agege well as a senator. Many, particularly those of the PDP stock had never at anytime acknowledged the excellent performance of the man as Deputy Senate President. Party politics blinded some of our people to the extent of abusing the man everyday in the media, branding him as ‘Orogun Senator’ instead of applauding his superlative performance. Even if he chooses to run for House of Assembly, these elements will never support him. It is therefore never a mistake that he ran for governor in 2023.

Be mindful of the fact that those calling him names are not the people who encouraged him to run for senate in 2015. They have never seen anything good in Omo-Agege. Therefore their opinion does not really matter. The man wanted to be governor and the best opportunity is 2023 when it was the turn of Delta Central and he went for it. Whatever the outcome may be, the man has demonstrated his preparedness to serve the people. There is no senator like Ovie Omo-Agege in the history of Delta State. He stands out as the most adorable and best performing senator ever from Delta State. That fact is what all the PDP halleluya boys cannot take away from him. Even if he were to be in the senate again, these PDP elements will never support him for senate presidency. He has chosen his battles and he must fight to the end. Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has no regrets running for governor. Even if the courts decide against him, he remains the best and his decision to run was the best he ever took.

Those who betrayed him at the polls are still far behind him on the political ladder. The Dr Cairoh Ojuogbohs, Madam Onochie Laurettas and such other elements who congregated under APGA or folded their arms to allow APC fail to grab Delta State are the greatest losers. This writer insists that Ovie Omo-Agege may be down but certainly not out. So let everybody be watchful, prayerful and hopeful. I will support whoever wins because the progress of Delta State is what is important. However PDP should watch their back because surprises are everyday occurrences that can shock the unprepared.

Annabel Ogheneganre of writes from Garki, Abuja. (Please send reaction to [email protected])