By Oriavwote Fredrick Ufuoma

Truly, politics is a game of numbers because the larger the number, the more influence it carries. But even in the face of politics and the struggle to secure party candidacy, facts should be put into consideration to avoid misplaced priorities. If not for politics and the strive for political power in Delta State and beyond, the monumental developmental strides of the Deputy President of the 9th Senate make him the very best senator Delta Central has ever produced in this current democratic dispensation and the best senator Delta State in general has produced since the creation of the state in 1993.

His achievements are so enormous that we cannot begin to count them. A man who has given appointments across all geopolitical zones and party lines, there is no party in Delta Central, or even beyond, that he hasn’t impacted. He made senatorial representation an enviable venture. Senator Ovie Omo Agege, in his few years of representation, changed the senatorial narrative in Delta State in general. It might interest us to know that after the late Olorogun Senator Brume (1999–2003), we had the late Olorogun Senator Felix Ibru (2003–2007), followed by the late Prof. Dr. Eferakeya (2007–2011), and eventually the late Pius Akpor Ewrido (2011–2013). Afterward, Senator Emmanuel Agwarivwodu finished Ewrido’s tenure in 2015, before the advent of Olorogun Ighoyota Amori, whose election was overturned by the Court of Appeal, Benin Division, and Senator Ovie Omo Agege was declared the winner in 2016.

This comparison is extremely important to set the record straight and highlight their achievements. The late Senator Brume, of blessed memory, tried to revive the Delta Steel Company (DSC) with some legislative enactments, even though they were not fully realized. Among all these past senators, both living and deceased, from other senatorial districts in Delta—ranging from Delta North (e.g., late Patrick Osakwe, Okowa, Nwaboshi) to Delta South (e.g., Senator James Manager, who served from 2003–2023)—Senator Omo Agege stands out.

Politics should be played with dignity, always adhering to the principles of truth, justice, and fairness, with reference to track records and antecedents. Senator Ovie Omo Agege has paid his dues in building the APC as a party and as a formidable force in Delta politics. This is the first time in the history of politics in Delta State that the PDP is jittery, the first time the opposition has produced seven House of Assembly members and two senators in an election. This has never happened before, and one man made it happen.

Should we now talk about the projects attracted to Delta State in general? Ordinarily, in advanced politics, individuals like Senator Ovie Omo Agege should not be subjected to party primaries for whatever they wish to contest in subsequent elections. They should be consensually nominated to strengthen the party base within their area.

On this note, I call for all hands to be on deck to build the party together if we are to win the 2027 gubernatorial election in Delta State. The name Omo Agege is already a force, and the emergence of Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru should not be seen as anything to reckon with, because we know our strength. We know those whose main aim is to trade politically, as we have witnessed since 2003. This time should be viewed as a crucial moment in building APC in Delta State, which I can see is being infiltrated by so-called party leaders and their mercenaries.

Ufuoma wrote this piece from Asaba