By George Ozalla
Former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has declared that Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) because he was unwilling to face him in another electoral contest.
Speaking on ARISE News on Wednesday morning, Omo-Agege maintained that he remained a formidable political force in Delta State and insisted that the governor’s political decisions were driven by fears of a rematch ahead of the 2027 elections.
The former governorship candidate of the APC in Delta State argued that the outcome of the 2023 elections demonstrated his political strength, particularly in Delta Central Senatorial District, where both he and Oborevwori hail from.
According to him, the APC secured two of the three Senate seats in the state during the elections, with one of the victories coming from Delta Central in what he described as a direct political battle between himself and the governor.
“In the 2023 elections that I led, the APC won two Senate seats out of the three available in Delta State. In Delta Central, where both the governor and I come from, I defeated him in a head-to-head contest. I won by over 15,000 votes and our candidate, Senator Ede Dafinone, defeated the governor’s candidate for the Senate seat,” Omo-Agege said.
He dismissed suggestions that Oborevwori’s defection to the APC reflected political strength, insisting instead that it was evidence of political vulnerability.
“If Sheriff Oborevwori was sure that I was not a threat, he would have remained in the PDP and faced me. He left because he knows I am a threat,” he stated.
Omo-Agege also reiterated his long-held position that he did not genuinely lose the 2023 governorship election, maintaining that the mandate was taken away from him.
“I did not concede defeat because I won the 2023 governorship election,” he said.
The former Deputy Senate President further claimed that growing dissatisfaction with the governor’s administration had triggered widespread political realignments across Delta State.
He said that while embarking on what he described as a thank-you tour across the state, he witnessed large numbers of PDP members abandoning the party due to what he called a loss of confidence in the governor’s leadership.
“As I moved around Delta State reorganising and consulting with party members ahead of 2027, there was a mass movement of people from the PDP because they no longer had faith in Governor Oborevwori,” he said.
Omo-Agege’s remarks come barely a week after he formally resigned from the APC following months of internal disagreements and political tensions within the party in Delta State. In his resignation letter, he stated that he could no longer remain in a party where he was unable to advance the interests of Delta Central and his political supporters.
The comments also followed an interview granted by Governor Oborevwori on ARISE Television, during which the governor dismissed suggestions that Omo-Agege remained a major political threat. Oborevwori said the former Deputy Senate President’s exit from the APC did not come as a surprise and argued that many of his supporters had already left the party months earlier. The governor further maintained that Senator Ede Dafinone remained a strong political figure in Delta Central.
A close contest between the governor and the former Deputy Senate President is already emerging as one of the defining political storylines in Delta State. With both men drawing support from Delta Central and seeking to shape the state’s political direction. And Omo-agege is a political heavy -weight and no push over.
