By Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe Esq
#eacgovdelta
Early in 2021, I did say in one of my permutation piece that the political King Pharaoh of Delta State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and Deputy Senate President, Ovie Augustine Omo-Agege, will be the sole and unquestionable governorship candidate of his party.
And on Thursday 14th April 2022, he declared his intention to try his luck in the ongoing race for the number one job in Delta State. And in his usual radical and self centered style, Agege mounted the stage to disgrace himself and the APC party by engaging in Beer Parlour vituperation. He goofed big time.
He came to the podium very late and unprepared in the usual APC approach to issues and dwell on nothing. The main purpose of his gubernatorial ambition, according to him, is to end the political supremacy of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Delta State so that his name will be etched in the Guiness Book of Records.
Agege kept on ranting on stage, spent nearly an hour talking and saying nothing. He could not reel out his economic and infrastructure development strategies or plans for the state and said nothing about his vision for Delta State because he had nothing to say.
And as the sole authoritarian governorship candidate of APC Delta, he ought to have launched or present his manifesto same day. He was not prepared, indication of failure from the outset. No wonder Chief Great Ogboru, Barrister Victor Ochei and Festus Keyamo, SAN avoided this show of shame. Agege is miles away from the people.
DSP Agege focused on his perceived political enemy and the governor of Delta State, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, and in the same token forgot to tell Deltans about his plans for the state in phases or give cogent reasons why he is aspiring to be governor in 2023.
Agege deployed the now infamous APC negative propaganda and name calling strategies which President Mohammadu Buhari, Pastor Tunde Bakari and Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu utilised in 2015 to deceive Nigerians, won the presidential election and ruined the country. Look at Nigeria today; APC took the country eight years backward and went ahead to free jailed corrupt governors. Buhari is ending his tenure shamefully and very sad indeed.
As you read this piece, Universities students are roaming the streets of Nigeria; confused, hopeless and frustrated because of the inability of APC national government to pay the huge backlog of lecturers entitlements and allowances from 2015 till date. The federal government is broke and Nigeria is in huge debt. APC government borrowed away the future of generations yet unborn and the nation’s economy is at the verge of total collapse.
This accounted for the reason why DSP Agege could not say anything meaningful during his declaration speech, he was practically in the tight corners of guided speculative utterances. He was obviously flat and mischievous in his beer parlour gist on stage. We went rolling with laughter on the floor during his clueless statements occasioned by self induced failure to prepare for an important event.
Deltans and indeed Nigerians are familiar with the political and economic history of Delta State, from 1999 till date; the revenue earned and the pace of development. DSP Omo Agege was a senior government official in Delta State government between 1999 and 2015 before he defected to Labour Party and to the APC within a short period of twelve months.
Agege was Executive Assistant to former governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori and later appointed as Secretary to Delta State Government. As Executive Assistant, Agege was more powerful than a State Commissioner. He was in control of substantial part of the system and awarded contracts worth billions of Naira and in the process he was alleged to have received stupendous kick backs like no other government official since the creation of the state. The fear of Agege was the beginning of wisdom. He was bold and brutal.
For sixteen good years, Agege held sway as one of the decision makers in Delta State Government and took part in all matters concerning the socioeconomic, infrastructure and financial dealings on behalf of the good people of the state. And in all of these, Agege was alleged to have lined his pockets with public funds, became very wealthy, acquired properties and saved stupendous amount of money to prosecute his political ambition.
It is therefore self indicting for Agege to cast negative aspersions at PDP government in Delta State, because he was at various times a senior government official and member of the State Executive Council as SSG. While in government he was alleged to be a perpetual rugged tribe taker and a high handed senior government official, very cruel and typically vindictive in all ramifications.
Agege carries despotic and authoritarian negative aura and can be very arrogant. He does not see beyond his nose and his political history depicts a man who is very desperate at amassing primitive wealth and use same ill gotten wealth to oppress poor people and perceived political opponents. He has a long history of criminal activities spanning over three decades.
The Deputy Senate President while in the United State practicing Law got himself involved in document fraud and pejury. He was subsequently prosecuted, debarred and he shamefully returned to Nigeria to take appointment as Executive Assistant in Ibori’s administration.
Nigerians will not forget in a hurry that Agege, it was, who allegedly masterminded the mace running deal in the Senate hallowed chamber and was subsequently rewarded with the juicy position of the Deputy Senate President. Not too long ago, it was alleged that Agege took bribe in the region of over one billion Naira from a particular fellow in Delta State lobbying for the position of Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
The alleged huge bribe taking news went virile on social media and it was never debunked by the DSP’s media team. The matter is still pending and the bubble shall definitely burst after the appointment of a substantive Managing Director for the Commission, if that particular fellow is not appointed.
Recently, Agege influenced the emergence of Chief Omini Sobotie as Delta APC Chairman. Sobotie and Agege are both from Delta Central Senatorial District and from Ughelli North Local Government Area. It was morally and politically a taboo for this to happen. But Agege the political King Pharaoh of Delta APC did it and nothing happened. It was his self centered strategy to position himself as the sole governorship candidate of Delta APC.
Of course we are all aware that the two projects Agege brought to Delta Central as senator representing the District; The Federal Polytechnic and Law School Campus are both domiciled in his home town of Orogun in Ughelli North Senatorial District. It portrayed Agege as a selfish political leader who will do anything and everything possible to satisfy himself and himself alone.
For crying out loud, there are eight local governments in Delta central and Agege did not deem it necessary to take one of the projects to another local government. What manner of man is DSP AGEGE? Your answer is as good as mine.
The best thing for Agege right now is to lobby for the creation of OROGUN STATE, to be carved out of the present Delta State, and appoint himself as the live Governor. Of what use is Agege’s self centered aspiration for the office of Governor in Delta State? He should create Orogun State for himself, period. I am sure with the help of the Senate President and President Buhari, Orogun State can be created before 2023 general elections. Yes, APC can speedily do it for their mace runner.
DSP Agege’s tasteless speech on Thursday 14th April was targeted at Governor Okowa and Delta PDP. Agege forgot that it was the same PDP that saved him from financial poverty when he returned to Nigeria broke, after his shameful criminal activities in the United States Bar.
PDP, it was that revived him and gave him a new hope for the future. It is a sign of absolute ungratefulness for Agege to now cast negative aspersions at the party that redeemed him from shame and acute poverty.
As for governor Okowa and his performance in office; Agege murdered truth and buried it in the wee hours all by himself. This administration is respected by the leaders of the APC including President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
The job and wealth creation models as in Yagep, Rysa, Step, Project Gest and other skills acquisition and entrepreneurial programmes have been adopted by some right thinking APC governors in Nigeria. Agege on a good day cannot deny the fact that Okowa’s modest achievements surpassed previous administrations, in the midst of poorly managed country by APC national government under Buhari.
Today, Delta State stands tall as the pace setter in socioeconomic and infrastructure development, job and wealth creation. Okowa constructed and rehabilitated over 2,500 kilometers of roads, 1,500 kilometres of bridges and over 1,000 kilometers of drainage across the three Senatorial district. This administration also constructed roads in Agege’s home town of Oregun and several other road network in Delta Central including Agege’s Ughelli North Local Government Area.
Additional roads of nearly 50 kilometres across the three Senatorial districts was recently approved by Exco for construction and rehabilitation and shall be completed before the terminal date of this administration.
I have also dispatched copies of OKOWA’S SCORECARD and other materials containing the achievements of Okowa administration to the DSP’s office, National Assembly in Abuja, to enable him visit the locus inquo and appreciate each project listed in the Scorecard. It will give the DSP a clearer picture of the achievements of PDP Government in Delta State under platinum governor Okowa, and at the same time liberate him from misinformation and intellectual poverty.
Okowa administration built and commissioned one of the best stadium in the world, accredited by CAF and FIFA. In 2018. The 21st senior African Athletic sports competition was held in Asaba because of the uniqueness of Stephen Keshi International Stadium, a multi billion Naira project. Under Okowa, Delta remained national sports champions for three consecutive times and the state is making adequate preparations to host the 2022 edition of the National Sports Competition as defending champion. Agege should fear God and gradually learn to speak the truth to the shame of the devil.
Asaba International Airport was downgraded by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, before Okowa took over state leadership in 2015 as Executive Governor. He promptly revived the airport, gave it a new look, installed world class avionics and navigation equipment.
NCAA restored the international status of Asaba Airport and the governor rightly concession it on the basis of Build, Operate and Transfer, BOT, in line with international best practices. Agege uses the Asaba Airport regularly and can attest to the smooth runways and other world class facilities in it. The airport code ABB is one of the busiest commercial hubs in Nigeria today. Thanks to God Almighty and governor Okowa, the servant-leader.
In the Education sector, Okowa’s achievements surpassed previous administrations, with due respect and recognition of the achievements made by governors Chief James Ibori and Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan. The six abandoned Technical Colleges in the state were reconstructed, equipped and reopened for academic activities. Additional Technical colleges are being constructed in all local governments while some are ready for commissioning.
Three Universities; Delta State University of Science and Technology, Ozoro, Delta University Agbor and Dennis Osadebey University Anwai were added to existing institutions of higher learning in the state, to accommodate thousands of admission seekers, provide jobs for academic and non academic staff, skilled and unskilled labourers, et al. Students bursaries are paid as at when due and no backlog of state salary arrears.
Vice President Osibanjo while commissioning the mega Obi Prof Chike Edozien State Secretariat last year, said;
“Governor Okowa is an outstanding leader who is determined to leave lasting legacies behind after his tenure.
“This gigantic world class Secretariat is second to none in Sub-Sahara Africa. I congratulate the good people of Delta State, for being blessed with a visionary leader and promise keeper governor. I am impressed because this project is simply fantastic,” The Vice President said.
And I wonder why Mr Vice President could see and touch Okowa’s achievements but DSP Agege could not. It is obvious that he has been blind folded by his selfish and self centered ambition to be governor of Delta State, a dream only God knows when he will actualise it, certainly not in 2023 and not 2031.
It is crystal clear that DSP Agege has nothing to offer Deltans as can be seen or deduced from his vain governorship declaration speech on Thursday 14th April, 2022. APC name calling strategy is now obsolete and Deltans can neither be moved nor fooled by such retrogressive political and electioneering tactics by Agege and his co-voyagers. Deltans have outgrown such petty and counter productive political rhetorics.
No right thinking eligible voter will vote for Agege in the forthcoming elections. He lacks credibility in both legal practice and as a federal lawmaker. And in 2023, he will neither be a serving senator nor be the governor of Delta State. The signs are there, the people recognises him as a mace runner, rusticated from the American Bar for document fraud cum perjury. These are serious negative moral issues that bedevilled his personality. Agege will compulsorily retired from politics in 2023.
There is Sheriffication going on in monumental proportions in Delta State.
Delta is YELLOW for Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, the Ukodo of Okpe Kingdom, the longest serving Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly and Deputy National Chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria.
Sheriff is the real DEAL, the divinely anointed governorship candidate.
Look no further, be SHERIFFIED.