By George Ozalla

Former Deputy President of the 9th Senate and Delta Central Senatorial District candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has alleged that armed men attacked members of his party during a political tour of Usiefrun in Ughelli South Local Government Area of Delta State, describing the incident as an assassination attempt against him.

Omo-Agege, in a statement issued on Friday, August 14, 2026, alleged that the attackers were affiliated with Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and had opened fire on NDC members who gathered to receive him, the party’s governorship candidate, Deacon Chris Iyovwaye, and other party leaders during their tour of Delta Central.

He said he was the main target of the attack, adding that six NDC members sustained injuries in the incident. Among those he identified as injured were Mr Believe Biadoyo, Mr Joshua Oghenetega Oyibocha, Owhos Peter and Ojiyovwin Dennis, alongside two other party members.

According to Omo-Agege, the attack confirmed concerns he had raised on July 29 over what he described as growing political violence in Delta State ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He recalled that he had earlier drawn attention to an incident involving Hon. Temple Mudi at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, as well as an alleged attack on Iyovwaye during a visit to Aghalokpe.

“Yesterday, Thursday, August 13, 2026, armed men affiliated with the Governor of Delta State, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, attempted to take my life in Usiefrun, Ughelli South LGA,” Omo-Agege said, adding that Iyovwaye and other members of the NDC leadership were also targeted.

The former senator alleged that eyewitness accounts and video evidence had identified four persons as masterminds of the Usiefrun incident. He named Hon. Simon Mudi, popularly known as “Temple” and described as a Protocol Officer to Governor Oborevwori, Mr Flash Oghenetega Origbon, Mr Ochuko Origbon and Mr Alex Awherhurho.

Omo-Agege alleged that the four men were members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, and accused the party of allowing political violence to escalate in the state.

He said the Usiefrun incident was no longer an isolated development, but part of a pattern which, in his view, included the earlier incidents at Aghalokpe and Effurun.

“This is no longer politics. It is a well-orchestrated campaign of violence and attempted murder,” he said.

Omo-Agege also recalled his July 29 warning that he had “credible intelligence” indicating that the APC was preparing what he described as a coordinated campaign of violence ahead of the 2027 elections.

He maintained that the latest incident had given fresh urgency to his earlier warning, saying, “Agholokpe happened. Effurun happened. Now Usiefrun. This is a pattern. Our warning has become evidence.”

The NDC chieftain, however, said the alleged attack would not stop his party from continuing its grassroots mobilisation across Delta Central.

He said the party would proceed with its ward-to-ward visits and urged supporters not to retaliate against those responsible for the incident.

“We refuse to be intimidated or silenced. Our ward-to-ward visits across Delta Central Senatorial District will continue,” he said, while urging members of the NDC and other residents of the state to remain peaceful.

Omo-Agege called on the Inspector General of Police and the Delta State Commissioner of Police to investigate the incident and take action against those he accused of involvement, particularly Mudi.

He also questioned the circumstances surrounding Mudi’s alleged involvement, recalling that the governor’s aide had himself reportedly been a victim of the earlier disturbance at the PTI in Effurun.

“Just days ago, Temple was reported as a victim at PTI Effurun. Today, he is named as the mastermind behind this attack,” Omo-Agege said.

He demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of Mudi, Origbon, Origbon and Awherhurho, while also calling on the Delta State Government to suspend and hand over to the police any political appointee found to be connected to the attack.

He further urged the police, Department of State Services (DSS) and the Inspector General of Police to investigate the incidents at Aghalokpe, Effurun and Usiefrun as potentially connected cases.

Omo-Agege also called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), civil society organisations and the international community to deploy observers to Delta Central, arguing that the political environment in the area required closer monitoring ahead of the 2027 elections.

He gave Governor Oborevwori 48 hours to condemn the alleged attack and ensure that arrests were made, warning that failure to do so would be interpreted by him as complicity.

The allegations come against the backdrop of an increasingly heated political contest in Delta State ahead of the 2027 governorship election. Omo-Agege, who previously contested the governorship on the APC platform in 2023, is now seeking election to the Senate under the NDC, while Iyovwaye is the NDC’s governorship candidate.

The APC had previously rejected Omo-Agege’s allegations of a coordinated campaign of political violence in the state. In a July 29 statement, the party’s Delta State Publicity Secretary, Valentine Onojeghuo, described the allegations as false, politically motivated and an attempt to mislead the public.

The APC said Omo-Agege was exploiting the incident at the PTI Conference Centre in Effurun for political advantage and denied that the party sponsored thugs to prevent Iyovwaye from visiting Aghalokpe. The party maintained that it neither condoned nor encouraged violence and called for an impartial investigation into all reported incidents.

Iyovwaye had also previously alleged that suspected political thugs attempted to disrupt his visit to Aghalokpe, but said the engagement eventually went ahead.

The latest allegations by Omo-Agege had not, at the time of filing this report, been independently established by security agencies, and those accused had not been publicly convicted or found responsible by a competent court.

Omo-Agege nevertheless said the NDC would not abandon its political activities because of the incident, insisting that the party would continue its engagements with communities across Delta.

“To the NDC family and all peace-loving Deltans: Do not retaliate. Do not live in fear. We will continue to reach every ward. Violence will not stop us,” he said.

He added that the party intended to win the 2027 election on its ideas and record, arguing that the people of Delta deserved capable leadership.

“On July 29, I called it a shame. Today, it is an assassination attempt and an assault on our democracy. Enough is enough,” Omo-Agege said.