BigPen Online One-on-One With Omo-Agege: Any Other Delta APC State Congress Is Null And Void

Senator Ovie Omo-Agege

BigPen’s Joe Ogbodu talks one-on-one with Senator Ovie Omo-Agege who captured national headlines recently after his suspension from the senate, mace theft saga and his subsequent triumph through a court order. He spoke candidly about the contentious APC Congresses in Delta state and the divide it has created.

Senator representing Delta Central Senatorial District, Olorogun Ovie Omo-Agege has said that only Congresses conducted by the All Progressive Congress, APC committees constituted by the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, in Delta State can be tend as legal, saying any other are null and void.

Omo-Agege spoke shortly after the state Congress held at St. Muluamba Secondary School, Okpanam, Asaba and conducted by the Senator Olugbenga Obadara led committee, saying that any other Congress is a parallel Congress that would never stand.

Speaking in an interview with BigPen Online in Benin, the Edo state capital, Senator Omo-Agege said the Congress that saw the emergence of Prophet Jones Erue on Saturday, May 19, 2018 in Asaba, the Delta state capital is the only one the National Working Committee of the party would work with.

He said that the parallel Congress being planned for Monday May 21st by the Olorogun O’tega Emerhor camp of the party was just a waste of time and plot to deceived the party’s aspirants.

According to him, there was no counter-directive from the NWC to stop the conduct of the state congress on Saturday, adding that anyone planning another one is just hoodwinking the party’s faithfuls and aspirants.

The lawmaker however described the ward and local government Congresses conducted by Alhaji Sani Dododo as well as the state Congress by Senator Olugbenga Obadara as credible.

Senator Olugbenga Obadara and INEC officials during Saturday state Congress in Delta state

He said that the Erue-Ogboru-Omo-Agege tendencies of the party followed the party’s Congress guideline to achieve peace and smooth Congresses across the state.

Hear him; “For you to determined the credibility or otherwise of the Congresses so far conducted, you have to look at the processes.

“The panel that came from Abuja to conduct the ward and local government Congresses was a panel led by Alhaji Sani Dododo.

“It was a panel constituted by the party’s National Working Committee, inaugurated by the NWC and empowered by the NWC.

“They came to Asaba, conducted the Congresses which were witnessed by INEC and the security services. Of course they were well attended but we are not oblivious of the fact that a group of renegade (I don’t like using the word) also purported to have held theirs but if my memories served me right ours complied with the Congress guidelines.

“So it is very credible and for you to have a credible ward and local government Congresses you must followed the guidelines for the congresses and for you to have a successful and credible state Congress you must have a credible ward and local government Congresses.

Continuing, he said, “We (referring to the Erue-Ogboru-Omo-Agege tendencies) are the only ones that conducted a credible ward and local government Congresses so we are very happy about what transpired today (Saturday).

“It was the entire APC in the state that gathered. This is the APC that is ready to kick out PDP in 2019. It is the APC that is ready for once to deliver President Muhammadu Buhari as president in 2019. We are very excited and very happy were we are.

When reminded that the controversy trailing the conduct of the Congresses had further deepened the crisis rocking the party, Omo-Agege responded thus;

“We don’t recognized any division in the party. This is an intra party affair. It is a family affair. Everyone cannot agreed on all things at all times.

“We recognized that even in homes there is disagreement between husband and wife, among children and siblings but at the end of the day we will all come together and focus on the big fight and the big opponent which is the PDP”.

He said that the APC state party executive that would capture Delta state for President Buhari and also win the governorship come 2019 have already been put in place.

“It is very essential and important to President Muhammadu Buhari and also the APC that we take Delta state this time around.

“Delta state has been previously described as a low hanging fruit and for us to block the low hanging fruits we must do things right.

“And the leadership that has been put in place by the stakeholders and delegates elected during the ward and LGAs Congresses have done a good job to ensure that a credible leadership is put in place that would give us those result in 2019.

Omo-Agege, also spoke about report that his faction acted in defiance to the directives from the party’s national headquarters for the postponement of the state Congress and subsequent withdrawal of the Senator Olugbenga Obadara led state Congress committee.

According to him, “When you say a committee is withdrawn you have to check your language very well. That committee headed by Senator Olugbenga Obadara and others was a committee that was set up by the NWC.

“The committee was inaugurated by the NWC and empowered by the NWC with electoral materials and sent to Delta state to conduct the Congress”.

The lawmaker who is also a lawyer by profession explained that the moment the party’s NWC inaugurated the Congresses committees, the authority of the national chairman, Oyegun over the committees ended immediately.

Chief John Odigie-Oyegun

“The moment that committee was constituted, inaugurated and so empowered, whoever that put that committee in place becomes functus officio.

“It is only when the National Working Committee sit again that they can withdraw if necessary”.

He alleged that certain interest in Delta state had mounted pressure on Chief Oyegun to save the situation for them hence the letter that are currently under circulation.

Delta APC leader, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor

“I understand that owing to pressure from certain interest and vested interest in Delta state who have never be able to win any election, mounted so much pressure on the National chairman and maybe the Secretary, a letter was purportedly written to recall the panel but you can’t do that.

“Much as we respect Chief John Odigie-Oyegun as our National Chairman, we respect him immensely, we respect the National Secretary and other offices immensely but standing by themselves alone or just two of them, they do not constitute the NWC of APC.

“The decision to send these people here was made by the NWC and only the NWC can take that decision to withdraw them and the last time I checked no such meeting of NWC was ever called and no withdrawal was made by them. If anyone purportedly did that they are acting on their own and we are not bound by it.

Senator Omo-Agege who was also reminded that there is a letter purportedly from the National Secretary, Alhaji Mai Mala Buni informing the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC of the rescheduled Congress in Delta state, said, “my reaction to it, like I just said is that this panel led by Senator Olugbenga Obadara was the one that was constituted validly by the National Working Committee.

“It was inaugurated by the NWC, it was empowered by the NWC and the NWC has not met again to withdraw this very panel, so if a letter is circulating out there purportedly written by the Chairman of the party, Chief Oyegun or by the Secretary, they are within their right to write that letter but that doesn’t make it a letter emanating from the NWC.

“The National Working Committee has not met and in fact can no longer meet because the pregnancy has been delivered, you cannot abort a pregnancy that has been delivered. So the panel as set up, as coming here have done the Congresses and every other matter will be look into”, he concluded.