Abuja, NIGERIA — Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the immediate past Deputy President of the 9th Senate and 2023 Delta APC governorship candidate, finds himself at a critical political juncture as cracks deepen within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State.
At the heart of the turmoil is a brewing leadership tussle that pits Omo-Agege against the newly defected Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, whose recent switch from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to APC has radically shifted the internal dynamics of the party in the state.
The Delta State APC, in a strongly worded statement dated April 30, 2025, and signed by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Valentine Onojeghuo, declared Oborevwori as the “undisputed leader” of the party in the state. The statement, titled “Delta APC Reaffirms The Position of His Excellency Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori As Leader Of APC in the State”, warned that any contrary claim would attract disciplinary measures.
“It is strange, arrogant and reprehensible for any individual to continue to arrogate or to parade himself as the leader of the party in the state in clear opposition to the present reality of the governor as leader,” the statement read.
Omo-Agege, who was instrumental in building the APC’s structure in Delta over the past years, now finds himself politically side-lined. His position has been further undermined by Vice President Kashim Shettima’s reported remark that party members should “work with” Governor Oborevwori, effectively relegating the senator’s standing within the APC hierarchy.
In a surprising twist, Omo-Agege, who had initially issued a statement welcoming Oborevwori into the APC and referring to him as a fellow party leader, was quickly reminded that leadership in the party is now the exclusive domain of the sitting governor. This development has left him politically exposed and uncertain of his future within the party.
Reacting to the political imbroglio, Professor Patrick Muoboghere, a former commissioner for Higher Education and Agriculture in Delta State and a notable PDP stalwart, has openly called on Omo-Agege to return to the PDP, promising him an unchallenged path to the 2027 governorship ticket.
“Like a lion caged in his own den, Omo-Agege is being humiliated in the APC. He should not allow himself to be pushed around,” Muoboghere said. “The PDP is ready to welcome him back with open arms and support his governorship ambition.”
Muoboghere did not mince words in expressing his displeasure at the treatment of the senator by the APC leadership, describing the situation as “degrading and demeaning” to a man who has laboured to build the party from the ground up.
“The Governor is now the leader of the party. Omo-Agege, who has led the APC in the state and fought for its relevance, has suddenly been stripped of his title and forced to submit,” Muoboghere continued. “In a party where the governor is king, there will be no primary once he declares an ambition. The rest of the aspirants become redundant.”
This public call by the PDP signals a broader strategic intent to reclaim disaffected APC leaders and followers in Delta, many of whom now feel alienated by the centralisation of power around the new governor.
As the 2027 elections approach, Omo-Agege’s next political move is being closely watched. Sources within his camp suggest he is weighing his options, mindful of both the personal and political consequences of either remaining in the APC or defecting back to the PDP—a party he once left in dramatic fashion.
The stakes are high. With Delta’s political terrain shifting rapidly, and realignments happening across both major parties, Omo-Agege’s decision may determine not just his political survival, but the broader configuration of power in Delta State politics over the next electoral cycle.
Will he remain and fight from within a party that now seeks to diminish his clout, or return to a familiar but once-abandoned base that promises him the political throne? Only time—and political calculus—will tell.
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