Omo-Agege’s Returns Home To A Difficult Defence Of Buhari

By Patrick Adamagu

LAWMAKER representing Delta Central Senatorial district of Delta State, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, returned to a tumultuous homecoming on Thursday in the regalia of the Deputy President of the Senate.

It is the highest political office to be occupied by the Urhobo ethnic nationality in 20 years.

It is as such not surprising that Senator Omo-Agege with the benefits from the All Progressives Congress, APC has continued to preach the gospel of President Muhammadu Buhari’s among his kinsmen despite the seeming anti-South-South perceptions hovering over the party in the area.

Delta Central with eight out of the 25 local government areas in Delta State is undoubtedly the base of the APC in Delta State being the only senatorial district the party won seats during the recent General Election.

The party won the Senate seat, one of the three federal constituencies in the senatorial district and also three of the – state constituencies in the 2019 general elections.

But the party could not replicate the same feat in the gubernatorial election having won only two local government areas for its candidate, Chief Great Ogboru making it his worse performance in his six governorship elections in the state.

However, despite his emergence as DSP, it has been a herculean task for the lawmaker to defend the policies of the APC Federal Government among his kinsmen.

Windfalls From APC To Delta Central

On several occasions especially ahead of the 2019 General Election, Omo-Agege tried earnestly to juxtapose Buhari alongside the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, saying, “Buhari and Atiku na Fulani oh, so for every two things, we must choose one and for me, na Buhari I choose.”

Justifying the candidacy of the only House of Representative member who was elected on the APC platform, Revd Francis Waive, Omo-Agege said: “If Buhari and APC na bad party as dem dey talk, Waive for no dey here with us oh, him na Pastor and he dey APC.”

His reassurances came on the heels of consistent killings and attacks on the people of Delta Central whom are predominantly Urhobo.

Attacks by armed Fulani herdsmen have been particularly reported in Abraka, Uwheru, Ogor, Agadama and Oviri-Olomu areas in Ethiope East, Ughelli North and Ughelli South local government areas of the state.

Though he condemned the attacks following the killing of some residents and farmers at Abraka, his constituents accuse him of not doing enough owing to his inability to address the leadership of his party which has consistently been accused of condoning the activities of the armed herdsmen.

The lawmaker in what many described as a failed bid to exonerate the herdsmen laid the blame on the inability of security agencies to arrest and curb the use of illegal weapons in circulation and bring the culprits to book.

Warning against self-help, he had said: “I am calling on security agents to apprehend the perpetrators in order not to provoke the aggrieved citizenry into resorting to self-help. I wish to also add that my constituents will not tolerate any attempts to treat this particular case with kid gloves.”

However, alongside the troubles from the armed men, the Urhobo have also under Omo-Agege received the highest political patronage since the advent of the Fourth Republic.

Besides the DSP position occupied by Omo-Agege, they have a ministerial nominee, MD of NEXIM development Bank and chairmanship positions of the National Social Insurance Trust Fund and Micheal Imodu Labour.

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