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Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Deputy Senate President.

Analysis by Our Political Correspondent

The rough and tumble for the political soul of Delta State in 2023 has begun.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) through its coveted Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, a well known governorship aspirant has began a subtle onslaught, all geared towards realizing this dream.

For the APC faithful in Delta state, Omo-Agege’s position as deputy Senate president is an opportunity for it to overrun the state.
Accordingly, Omo-Agege has started plotting navigation routes into the various senatorial districts aimed at setting up his political structures in all the senatorial divides in the state.

In Delta North Omo-Agege has picked Barrister Alex Onwuadiamu from Illah as his deputy chief of staff. His job includes creating waves to make inroads for his principal by building for the APC a formidable team of loyalists and party faithful. Onwuadiamu was director general of Victor Ochei’s Accord Party Delta North senatorial campaign.

In Delta South, Omo-Agege has appointed a former council chairman, former commissioner for lands and rice farmer, Barrister Raymos Guanah as one of his aides. Through Guanah, he hopes to meander through and build daunting team of faithful and loyalists that will stand up to the games of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

There is also the appointment of Mr. Sebastine Okoh, the fast growing political figure from Umunede, now appointed by Omo-Agege as Senior Special Assistant on legislative matters in Abuja.

In Delta Central, where Omo-Agege is representing in the red chambers, he has appointed Dr. Otive Ogbuzor as his chief of staff, meaning that Dr. Ogbuzor now has some clout with which to move and be taken seriously and help keep the Omo-Agege political influence growing in the district.

Also, in the Delta Central, former political adviser to former governor James Ibori , Elder Omeni Sobotie is now the Special Adviser on Strategy to the Deputy Senate President. And from Ezionum in Ndokwa, Ambassador Chukwuma Oyibode, who has aligned with Omo-Agege, and his mandate is to neutralise in Delta North, the political influence of the former Delta State Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei, who is currently not in Omo-Agege’s APC camp.

The thing with these appointments is that the appointees who hitherto were no bodies have with the appointments become relevant in the political scheme of things in their various localities in Delta state. As men of influence, they can now help to build strong political bases for their party.
Banneronlinenews.com learnt that Oyibode is eyeing a plum job that has to do with the amnesty office as co-ordinator.

However, it will not be a smooth sail for Omo-Agege as he has to contend with a large portion of disgruntled APC faithful who are unhappy with his style. Their grouse is that he seems to be insensitive to the plights of the party faithful, and they accuse him of treating them with disdain and ignominy by discriminating against them and preferring for plum appointments non-APC faithful and loyalists.

Although PDP loyalists said Omo-Agege and APC have no capacity to overrun the PDP in Delta State, being a PDP state, yet there are those who are currently bitter about the goings on in Delta PDP. This set of people are unhappy and have become critical of what they described as the emerging “slow motion” and “I am contented” style of Governor Okowa for not remembering them for political appointments.

The people who pleaded anonymity said that when come comes to shove, they might go for the APC lure. They also appear not to mind the fact that Governor Okowa has spoken about the need for them to be patient, and that they should also understand that it is not possible to give every party faithful appointment. But that there are other ways, besides appointments to compensate for the work they have done.

Yet, the people seem not convinced as they insist that the four year administration is already short by five months and they are idle.

Meanwhile, the APC factions in the state are yet to fully harmonise their differences as the various leaders are still at daggers drawn, even as they await the party leadership to step in and create the needed party harmony.

For instance, it is touted that Omo-Agege is the camp of Ashiwaju Bola Tinubu and the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, as opposed to the camp of Chief Rotimi Amaechi that is with the El-Rufai camp.

So far, nothing is heard from the Olorogun O’tega Emerhor and the Ogodo group that have displayed uncommon loyalty as APC faithful by withdrawing their case against the APC from the Supreme Court. Also, it is yet to be seen what Dr. Cairo Ojougbo is about to come up with.

And from the PDP side in the state, observers believe that the silence of Senator Peter Nwaoboshi and his absence at very important state government functions does not seem to underline the point that all may not be well.

Time in the unfolding days will tell and help to clear the fog over the political goings on in the Delta politics.