Delta APC: House Divided By Clash Of Interests

By Joseph Obukata

In the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, the atmosphere is cloudy even as the future looks bleak politically for the party. The picture became clearer since the recent gale of defections in the main opposition party in the oil-rich state.

For those who are familiar with events in the state, it is crystal clear that so much is still wrong with the party’s political structure. The APC has been enmeshed in prolonged crises, the recent being the party’s congresses of which factional executive committees had emerged at the state level.

One of the party’s chieftains and governorship hopeful captured it thus: the opposition party has become a one individual estate. Instead of cohesion ahead of the big party game which is the governorship election, the Delta APC is gradually fading into a ghost of its former self.”

Delta APC is grossly divided along party leaders’ line. There are the factions controlled by the Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege on one side – in alliance with the founding leader of the party, and the 2015 governorship candidate, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, and the tendency controlled by Minister for State, Labour and Productivity, Festus Keyamo(SAN) and the 2019 governorship candidate of the party, Chief Great Ogboru.

Omo-Agege and Ogboru who were on one side prior to the 2019 general election and had formed a formidable alliance then to dislodge Governor Okowa, parted ways after the party was defeated in the governorship election by the PDP. Omo-Agege would later reconcile with Emerhor who currently has a firm grip on a section of the party.

In the run-up to the last congresses of the party, Ogboru pitched tent with Keyamo in a bid to control the soul of the party ahead of the 2023 general election but Omo-Agege appears to have outwitted the duo both in the ensuing legal battles that trailed the Congresses and connections with the powers that be in the party. Keyamo’s persistent moves to have the Congress upturned including efforts to have President Muhammadu Buhari to wade in were fruitless.

The result is the reason why the party has remained disorganised with all the leaders running at cross purposes. Pundits believe the situation may become worse and may affect whatever show the party may put up in the 2023 general elections.

While the Omo-Agege’s political camp is doing everything possible to paint a picture that APC was intact before the party’s leaders at the national level, the Keyamo tendency is pushing hard to state the opposite even before Vice President Yemi Osinbajo or national leader of the party, Ahmed Bola Tinubu who are also squaring up for the party’s presidential ticket.

Omo-Agege, according to pundits has already positioned himself to allocate the party’s governorship position to himself and going by the assertion of his now archrival, Keyamo, he had succeeded to plant his “aides” as officials of the party and potential delegates to the primary.

But in a counter diatribe, an associate of Omo-Agege and one of those reportedly planted as party›s officials had fired back at Keyamo, calling him a ‘houseboy’ being an appointee of President Muhammadu Buhari. “We are all houseboys and house girls so long as we are appointees,” the Omo-Agege protégè said.

Political watchers in the state are of the view that the infighting that is consuming the party may linger till election date as it is the only reason why party the faithful are jumping ship here and there. One of the party governorship hopeful who said he has been nursing his ambition since 2019, Olorogun Jaro Egbo is the latest prominent figure from Ughelli North, political turf of Omo-Agege who had withdrawn from the governorship race on account of what he termed as the hijack of the party. Egbo, though didn’t say who exactly is behind the hijack, maintained that an “Alibaba political cabal” has hijacked the party structure and political machinery.

Giving account of why he decided not to pursue his ambition any longer, Egbo lamented that Delta APC has become a one-man empire, maintaining that he had hoped for a robust campaign for the governorship ticket of the party, “a veritable platform which I toiled day and night in concert with other progressives to make a platform of choice for Deltans seeking a paradigm shift in the governance of the state”.

He said that to realize the ambition, he had launched the campaign through a political platform Hivoltage Movement with hashtag through grassroots campaign, which endeared the party to the teeming populace who signed up for the ideals upheld.

But according to the party’s chieftain; “All of these goodwill has been frittered away by the monstrous takeover of all party structures and machinery by an arch-Facist and anti-democratic fellow.

“The APC in Delta State is now a one man affair that brooks no alternative opinion. The party we all worked to build in Delta State has become a new APC, Alibaba Political Cabal which has now rendered the tickets of the original Delta APC as a worthless piece of paper that cannot win any election in Delta State.

“It is therefore my conclusion that it will amount to futile exercise to vie for the governorship or any elective position under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State. I am therefore withdrawing my expression of interest to vie for the governorship or any elective position under the APC.

“I will henceforth deploy my resources and my Hivoltage political platform in working towards the emergence of a visionary Pan-Deltan governorship candidate who will move Delta State to higher levels of development”, he said.

Egbo’s withdrawal from the APC governorship race came on the heels of the defection of some bigwigs of the party who resigned their membership and threw their weight behind the ruling PDP. Sylvester Imonina, acting State Publicity Secretary, Precious Enuenweayoi, acting State Welfare Secretary of the party and Cyril Ogodo, former deputy chairman in the state, had on Tuesday, January 18, 2022, resigned their positions and membership to kickstart the long list of those who jumped ship at the recent PDP mega rally held in Asaba, the state capital.

But Pius Ituru of the Directorate of Media and Publicity, APC Delta State, has a strong word for the defectors. He said hitherto even in their wards, the defectors have failed to contribute anything meaningful to the growth of the party.

“The exit of the decampees can be described as “good riddance to bad rubbish” because the party has come to discover that they were moles in the fold of Delta APC that is waxing very strong.

“The party is not surprised and unperturbed because the decampees cannot mobilise to win even councillorship position in a local government election.

“We remain resolute under our amiable Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, who has not left anyone in doubt that, come 2023 APC in Delta will clinch to power to redeem Deltans from the dark years of PDP rule”, he said.

A State leader of the party and the 2015 governorship candidate, Olorogun Ortega Emerhor, who was taunted on social media as losing his ‘Emerhor Political Family’ (EPF) said he would not lose sleep over ‘disgruntled elements’ whose defection have no impact on EPF, nor APC in Delta State.

He described the defectors as just a ‘few disgruntled individuals’ and “stomach politicians” whom he alleged were paid to move to the PDP. The business mogul said; “it is not true that members of the Emerhor Political Family, EPF, are decamping to the PDP as reported; the truth is that only a few misguided and disgruntled individuals are involved.

“Only Chief Ogodo, Chief Kohwo and a few who have now become stomach politicians are decamping after allegedly receiving cash inducements as ‘rally mobilisation’.

“Emerhor Political structures are intact. Hon Chief Alfred Oloko is the State Coordinator and Head of the EPF. Chief Cyril Ogodo was never the Head. The EPF elders Forum is also intact”.

He noted that as individuals, they are free to associate with any group or party in their political quest, stressing that it is, however, mischievous for them to try to use the name and clout of EPF to promote themselves in order to up their stake and cash price with the PDP.

He noted that the defection of a handful of individuals whose membership of EPF is at best parasitical, doesn’t anyway diminish the resolve of genuine members of EPF to join other progressives to rescue Delta come 2023.

Apparently to reassure Abuja that they were still in charge, some leaders and elders of the party in Delta Central Senatorial District would later pass a vote of absolute confidence on Emerhor.

The leaders and elders under the aegis of Delta Central Emerhor Political Family Elders and Leaders Council (DCEPFELC) also described the defection of Mr. Cyril Ogodo and few members of the party to the PDP as a fruitless and failed political voyage.

Omo-Agege’s controlled State chapter of the APC, while firing another salvo after an earlier mockery statement from the former factional state chairman of the party, Cyril Ogodo, state publicity secretary, Sylvester Imonina, and others, who described APC as a “carcass that was on life support”, said that the defectors are just ‘sucking blood and feeding bottle electoral merchants with no electoral values.

“They thought their unceasing wild financial appetite will be satisfied with the empty promise of appointments and monetary inducement to join the PDP in Delta State” Pius Ituru said in a statement.

“We urge Deltans to relax and lose no sleep over the false propaganda being peddled by PDP merchants that the rank of the APC in Delta State is depleting, rather we wish to inform Deltans that for one member of the APC that has moved into the PDP, we have received 100 from the PDP and well meaning Deltans who are tired of the failed promises of the PDP in Delta State. Thus the defeat of the PDP in the 2023 Guber election is a sure bet”, he added.

But Delta PDP appears to be celebrating the mass defection which hit the Omo-Agege’s political base. Besides Cyril Ogodo, state publicity secretary of the APC caretaker committee, Sylvester Imonina and former senatorial chairman of APC, Ben Onwuka, APC support groups including Ovie Omo-Agege Solidarity Movement, G30 APC group led by Sylvester Ogbokuni, leaders and Elders Council of APC Delta central led by Sylvester Kohwo, were among hundreds of others who had penultimate Saturday defected to the PDP.

PDP, had in a statement said it welcomed with open arms the arrival of prominent political opposition figures, particularly from the opposition APC and other parties in the state, into the PDP family, under the big umbrella that covers the entire Delta State.

A statement by Delta PDP State Publicity Secretary, Dr Ifeanyi Osuoza, reads: “Delta State PDP welcomes with open arms, the arrival of former chieftains and stalwarts of the All Progressive Congress, APC and other political parties including Chief Cyril Ogodo, former APC State Chairman, Barr. OghenelueAmu Sylvester Imonina, acting State Publicity Secretary of APC and Precious Enuenweayoi, acting State Welfare Secretary of the APC, just to mention but few, amongst an overwhelming number of distinguished Deltans, into our PDP family under the big umbrella that covers the entire Delta State.

“Due to the massive numbers of distinguished Deltans who have now made PDP their new political home and family, we have compiled a comprehensive list of these our brothers and sisters, which will be published in a separate press release very soon.

“Deltans already know the excellent and impressive track records of so many of these fine men and women, that brought credibility, charisma, tremendous goodwill, vibrant intellectual articulation and a huge sense of commitment in their zeal to shore up the APC’s dwindling fortunes and goodwill in what was already designated as failed project.”

But shrugging off the defection celebration by PDP, Pius Ituru, said; “For us in the APC in Delta State, we are pleased to wish these people well in their journey to the PDP where Okowa controls the state resources believing that he will be able to satisfy their insatiable financial demands.

“We are relieved beyond measure that the biblical Achans in our ship that has held the party hostage has left, thus we are certain that our trip to the promised land is now certain.”

The Emerhor camp, in a communique issued after a meeting in Ughelli, Delta State, however called on the APC stakeholders in the state to unite and form a strong force ahead of the 2023 general elections to ensure that the ruling PDP is chased out of power.

A communiqué that was signed by over 500 members of the forum, including Mr. Orode M.O; Mr. Godwin Ohwoekevwo; Dr. Omene Edafe Wilson; Rev. Dr Isaac Unutame; Mr. Omene Solomon; Evangelist S.E Oteri; Mr. Roland Odjeni; Emanovwe Freeborn; Mr. Matthew Okoro; Mr. Adjarho Joseph; Mr. Oris Ohwerhi and Mr. Reuben Abarovwe, said: “The decision of the leader to bring the forum into a close working relationship with the Deputy Senate President; Ovie Omo Agege, was strongly affirmed as the desired route to strengthen the APC in Delta State.

“The council called on all APC stakeholders to come together and bury their differences to enable the APC to achieve the desired goal of bringing good governance to Deltans while ensuring that PDP’s 24years reign of terror and ineptitude comes to an end.

“The council called on all their members and all Delta APC members to be steadfast and remain focused towards 2023 general election when PDP will be chased out of the Government House,” the communique partly read.

Emerhor had at the meeting attended by several leaders and elders of the party from all the local governments of Delta Central told APC chieftains in the state that the party remained united and strong with a desire to work with all segments of the party to deliver the party in 2023.

He specifically charged members of his political family to return to their various units and wards to recruit more Deltans into the party. The APC leader added that those who left the party never added value to the party during their stay in APC.

What political watchers are worried about is how APC would be able to unite the various tendencies in the party before the 2023 general election. While PDP caucus are busy trying to put their house together over the zoning crisis, it is still unclear who are the APC caucus that would meet to decide the fate of the party in Delta State in 2023.

(This report was originally published by Daily Sun)