The All Progressives Congress, APC, has repeatedly stated its determination to upstage the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Delta State. However, that boast is itself challenged by the discord among different tendencies in the main opposition party in the state.

By Perez Brisibe

WITH roughly a year to the 2019 National Assembly elections, fresh cracks have reared up in the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, as two pressure groups within the party are on each other’s jugular over who produces the party’s candidate for Delta Central Senatorial district.

Olorogun O’tega Emerhor

The groups are Mainstream Delta APC, MDA, convened by Olorogun O’tega Emerhor and Light of APC, convened by Chief Great Ogboru and headed by Chief Alfred Oloko and Ossai Abeh as coordinators respectively.

The Delta Central Senatorial seat is currently occupied by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege who was elected on the platform of the Labour Party, LP, but defected to the APC following what has been termed as “irreconcilable leadership quagmire in the party.”

Expressing resentment against the lawmaker and the Light of APC, Oloko in a statement to members of the MDA noted that despite the fact that Senator Omo-Agege is a member of the APC, “MDA will soon choose its aspirant for the Senate position in Delta Central.”

MDA distances itself from Omo-Agege’s re-election

Giving reasons for the decision, Oloko said: “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 sympathizer thereof.”

*Ogboru

Citing reasons why MDA is not supporting the political aspiration of Omo-Agege, Oloko said: “He has 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.”

Oloko also warned members of the group against supporting the aspirations of APC members who are not in MDA, saying, “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.”

Light of APC keeps mum

Though the lawmaker could not be reached for comments as at press time, coordinator of Light of APC, Ossai Abbeh, when contacted, 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.”

‘Everyone would be given level playing field’

Speaking on the impasse between both groups, the state APC secretary, Chidi Okonji rebuffed Oloko stating that “whoever spoke from MDA that they would not give the serving senator their support, is speaking from his bedroom and not as a state officer of the party.”

The APC scribe who promised a level field for all aspirants of the party, noted that the party is going to give a free and fair playing ground for primaries and a mere pressure group does not have any right to determine who the party gives it ticket to.

He said: “Any group that is boasting that they would not support the serving senator or any aspirant are on their own and are already a failure because they do not have such constitutional powers to do so. There is nothing like MDA, Light of APC or CDA in the party’s constitution, hence they are not recognised.”

LG chairmen move to endorse Ogboru as sole candidate

However, chieftains of the party including at least 22 local government chairmen and secretaries converged penultimate weekend at Abraka, to unanimously endorse Chief Ogboru as the party’s sole candidate for the 2019 governorship election.

It would be recalled that Ogboru, a serial governorship candidate of the Alliance for Democracy, AD, Democratic People’s Party, DPP and Labour Party, LP has consistently won tickets to contest in elections without the bother of passing through governorship primaries, having always won the ticket through consensus.

A source who was present at the meeting, disclosed that, “at least 22 out of the 25 local government chairman of the party and their secretaries in a meeting organized at Abraka, moved a motion for the endorsement of Ogboru as the APC governorship candidate ahead of the 2019 general election.”

The meeting had in attendance, Chief Ogboru, Senator Omo-Agege, Sir Richard Odibo, Ossai Abeh and a host of others.

Ogboru’s endorsement, a tip of what is to come —ABEH

Reacting to the endorsement when contacted, the Light of APC coordinator, Ossai Abeh, said: “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.

Asked if Ogboru would participate in the primaries based on his recent endorsement, Abeh 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 in respect to the party’s constitution.”