Politics

2023: Delta Govt Lashes Out At Omo-Agege, Describes His Declaration Speech Empty

Published

4 years ago

April 15, 2022

Delta Government on Friday lashed out at Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege over his governorship declaration speech, describing it as “empty and uninspiring.”

The government said Omo-Agege failed to tell Deltans and Nigerians what he intend to do differently despite having the programme on live television coverage.

At a news conference in Asaba, the State Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu told journalists that the emptiness of Omo-Agege’s declaration speech shows that he lacked the capacity to govern a state like Delta.

He said that Delta was made up of men and women of integrity and wondered why a man who occupies a sensitive position as Deputy President of the Senate would organise such a declaration programme without clear cut plans on how he intends to govern the state if given the opportunity.

According to him, we were surprised that somebody at that level can organise a declaration which we do not hold against him because it is his democratic right but that he does so, so emptyly is our concern.

“Delta is made up of men and women of integrity and we expect that any of our own irrespective of political party cannot lower the banner by coming up with such emptiness.

“It is important that we advice him to up the ante and not to make members of the general public who are not Deltans to think that our level of understanding of issues is waning.

“We remain number one in the country and that is why we say ‘Delta nor dey carry last’ and we do not want somebody that is supposed to occupy a very responsible position to lower that very enviable position that our state have occupied in the scheme of things either politically or otherwise.”

Aniagwu who was flanked by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Olisa Ifeajika, slammed Omo-Agege for what he described as lack of discipline for time.

“Yesterday, in the course of his declaration he displayed a very high level of indiscipline because he told the people he was going to start that event at 10am but he did not show up until 3pm which means he does not even have respect for time.

“He didn’t even know that time between 10am and 3pm is very important to those persons he had gathered and they would have used that time to also engage in other very productive ventures.

“The man who is aspiring to lead our state cannot display that level of indiscipline in the first instance.

“We are also shocked that on a live broadcast which he had paid a reasonable amount of money, for the purpose of showcasing himself and if on a live programme he cannot even tell the people what he wants to do to govern our state, you can understand why we are disappointed at that emptiness,” the Commissioner stated.

The Information Commissioner described Omo-Agege’s attacks on the Okowa administration and the PDP as petty and an indication that the Delta Central Senator was being economical with the truth for political reasons.

He stated that Okowa has done his best developing all parts of the state in the last seven years and urged the Senator to come home often to be abreast with projects executed by the PDP led administration in the state.

“First and foremost, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa is not on the ballot for the governorship election of Delta State ahead of 2023 because he is about to finish his second term in office which the Constitution allows him.

“And so anybody saying we are going to chase him out of office when the man is already preparing to leave the office means that the man does not actually understand the situation of things.

“This is not a time to say you want to chase out a man who is not contesting with you. If you must chase, you must run after those that you are in the same race with because to the best of our knowledge, Senator Dr Ifeanyi Okowa is not running the same race with Senator Ovie Omo-Agege.

“A man cannot be in a boxing ring preparing to knock out his opponent and then you who is in a tennis court is now preparing to win him. It is not the same game and that also further underlines the emptiness of that declaration.”

Aniagwu stressed that Omo-Agege displayed crass ignorance on developments in the state noting that the three senatorial districts had received reasonable attention in terms of infrastructure and human capital development.

“We have three senatorial districts and in the last seven years, our people do acknowledge the level of unity, of harmony, infrastructural development, advancement in human capital across these senatorial districts.

“But another fact that underlines the emptiness of that declaration is the fact that our dear brother who is occupying a very exalted position, is not even aware of the level of development that characterised these senatorial districts in the last seven years.

“Outlining a few of the ignorance displayed at a very high level, he did mentioned that our dear brothers in Ndokwa nation have been marginalised and have not benefited from the Okowa administration.

“We would need to remind him that he needs to visit Obiaruku and see what is going on with the Obiaruku bridge and the internal roads constructed there as well as the Technical College built by the Okowa administration.

“We need to also tell him that before we came on board, our people from Ndokwa West to Ndokwa East were making use of Pontoon to convey vehicles across but let him go and see what is happening at the Kwale-Beneku bridge.

“We need to also remind him that Eziokpor bridge is ongoing, our people in Nsukwa axis, to Ejeme-Aniogor, Ndemili to Umutu, have very good roads because we have been able to link up our brothers in Ndokwa West and their kits and kins in Ukwuani Local Government Area.

“Let me also remind him that the Kwale Free Trade Zone is in Ndokwa Nation and just last Exco issues around the Kwale Free Trade Zone was a subject of discussion.

“We are not talking about the human capital development that cuts across the 270 wards in the state which the wards in Ndokwa nation are also very inclusive.”

He said the people of Isoko nation in Delta South can also attest to the infrastructural development in the area adding that the administration in the first one hundred days in 2015 inaugurated the first road project in the area.

“Let’s take him to the Isoko nation, our very dear brothers that have been very supportive of this administration.

“In our first 100 days in office, the first road project we inaugurated as an administration is the Ibrahim Kefas Road in Oleh linking up to the Oleh campus of the Delta State University.

“Let us also tell him that Emore Grammar School Oleh looks like a university even when it is a secondary school. Let us also tell him that we dualized the Emore Road leading very straight into the heart of the Isoko nation in Oleh.

“Needn’t we remind him that the University of Science and Technology Ozoro is in Isoko nation and infrastructure is growing up in that institution at a very fast pace even when the school before now boasts of a world standard stadium and indeed a number of other facilities that a lot of universities in this country cannot boast of.

“We don’t also need to remind him about the Isoko ring Road which traverses from Ellu, Ovrode, Ofagbe, Orie, Okpe-Isoko, Uro and terminates at Ada-Irri and our people in Isoko land sees these roads.

“The dual carriage road that we are completing from Asaba to Ughelli transverse the length and breath of the Isoko nation.

“We Needn’t also remind him that so much has been done including the completion of the law faculty in Oleh campus and of course the accreditation of five departments in the Faculty of Engineering,”

Aniagwu said the Okowa administration had transforned the creeks of Delta with bridges and several road projects including the Ayakoromo bridge, TransWarri road and bridges, the 20.4 km Ogulaha – Obotebe – Yokri, Sokebolou, Burutu internal roads, Ode-Itsekiri and Ogidigben internal roads among others.

He said Omo-Agege’s only major achievement, is the erection of a signboard for the proposed Federal Polytechnic Orogun without any foundation or block work, adding that the Okowa administration had constructed Aragba-Orogun township roads as well as internal roads spanning four streets in Orogun Town where he hails from.

“Not far from there’s the Agbarho-Orherhe bridge in the same Ughelli North and the Oha-Orerokpe bridge in Okpe Local Government area so if he is not aware of all these projects it goes to show that he doesn’t even visit home.

“The peace, the harmony that we enjoy today is on account of the inclusive nature of Senator Okowa administration including the spread of projects, so if he is not aware then you can imagine the kind of administration he wants to foist on our people.

“We have thought that the cluelessness that exists at their party at the national level may be restricted to that level but for him to want to cascade it to our dear state is something that we will not keep quiet and allow our people to swallow because what happened to Nigeria in 2015 that has brought us to where we are today is not something we can dream of let alone even see in Delta.

“We wish him well in his endeavour to want to become a governor but if he must become let him up the ante because our people are very much informed and exposed.

“When next he speaks he should learn to avoid taking on a man who has left his footprints in the sands of time across the 270 wards in Delta because that is to say the least a display of the lack of knowledge of happenings in our dear state.

“We wish him well, we respect him as a leader, we recognise that democratically he reserves the right to contest but in doing so he must realise that Delta deserves the best and not for him to lower the ante,” Aniagwu stated.

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Politics

2027: NDC Unveils Electoral Committee Members For Primaries

Published

1 hour ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has released list of Electoral Committee Members to Conduct primary election.

The exercise is for State House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, Governorship and Presidential Primaries across all States in Nigeria and the FCT.

This was contained in a statement posted on its verified X handle on Thursday.

The party had provided updates concerning its upcoming Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship, and State Assembly primaries.

According to the party’s National Chairman, Moses Cleopas,
and Barr. Ikenna Alex-Morgan Enekweizu, National Secretary, the primaries are confirmed to take place across the nation on May 29, 2026, adhering to the previously established timetable of May 28 and 29.

Politics

APC: Fubara Has Been Treated Badly, It’s Dangerous For Tinubu – Otubanjo

Published

1 hour ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The director of research at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Femi Otubanjo, has said the treatment of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, in the just concluded All Progressives Congress’, APC, primary poses political danger to President Bola Tinubu.

Otubanjo stated this on Thursday while speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show, where he also criticised the role being played by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, in the political affairs of Rivers State and the All Progressives Congress.

According to him, the handling of Fubara’s political crisis remains one of the most surprising developments in Nigeria’s political landscape.

Otubanjo further argued that Wike, who is not a member of the APC, appears to be dictating political activities within the ruling party in Rivers State.The research director warned that the current political arrangement in Rivers State could negatively affect Tinubu politically, insisting that Wike was pursuing his personal agenda rather than that of the president.

He said: “The treatment of Fubara must be one of the American wonders of Nigerian politics. Fubara has been badly treated. We have a situation in which Nyesom Wike who is not even in the APC is taking the primary decision in the APC. I hope the tactical team of President Bola Tinubu is not sleeping.

“The reality is that what they have done is very dangerous for Tinubu. What has emerged in Rivers today is that Wike is pursuing his own agenda, not Tinubu’s agenda inspite of PBAT and all of that combination.”

“If Wike really wants to pursue Tinubu’s agenda, he must retain Fubara.”

Politics

In Defence Of Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe: The Generational Shift Reshaping Edo Politics

Published

21 hours ago

May 27, 2026

Editor

By DAN Osa-Ogbegie

For decades, Edo politics remained trapped within a narrow and predictable cycle of political recycling. The same ageing actors moved endlessly from one office to another, from one administration to the next, and from one political alignment to another, as though leadership in Edo State had become the exclusive inheritance of a permanent political aristocracy.

Meanwhile, thousands of intelligent, energetic, and capable young Edo people watched helplessly from the margins while opportunities for leadership, governance, party administration, and public service remained tightly controlled by individuals whose political relevance dated back several decades.

That unhealthy political culture is now gradually changing.

Today, one of the most important political transformations taking place within the All Progressives Congress in Edo State is the deliberate transition from recycled political gerontocracy to a younger generation of political actors. That transition is unfolding under the leadership of Senator Monday Okpebholo, Governor of Edo State and Leader of the APC in Edo State, together with the State Chairman of the party, Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe.

Predictably, such a shift has unsettled entrenched interests.

Those who became accustomed to monopolising political relevance naturally feel threatened by the emergence of a younger generation that is increasingly assertive, visible, influential, and institutionally empowered. Yet, history teaches a simple lesson: no political structure survives indefinitely without renewal.

No serious political party can continue recycling the same exhausted political machinery forever while expecting innovation, grassroots energy, modern governance ideas, and long-term political sustainability.

That reality appears to be clearly understood by Governor Monday Okpebholo and Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe.

Much of the criticism unfairly directed at Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe in recent times stems from the fact that he has become one of the visible faces of this generational transition within Edo APC. Beneath the noise, propaganda, and political bitterness lies an undeniable truth: the party is consciously opening spaces for younger people in ways not seen for many years.

From the youthful Deputy Chairman of APC in Edo State, Sylvester Aigboboh, to several younger commissioners, Special Advisers, members of the State Executive Council, board chairmen, local government administrators, and strategic appointees across government, the evidence of deliberate political renewal is becoming increasingly impossible to ignore.

In Uhunmwode Local Government Area, Hon. Austin Imafidon has emerged as one of the young faces of focused governance and grassroots administration. Beyond politics, he has already established himself successfully in business, bringing into governance the mindset of productivity, enterprise, and modern administrative engagement.

In Etsako, Hon. Sunny Ekpeson has continued to attract national attention as the youngest ALGON Chairman in Nigeria, representing a clear departure from the era where local government leadership was treated as the permanent preserve of ageing political operators disconnected from younger demographics.

In Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, Hon. Eric Osawaru represents another example of the younger political generation now entrusted with leadership responsibilities, while in Oredo Local Government Area, Engr. Gabriel Iduseri equally reflects the growing confidence being reposed in younger administrators within the APC structure.

In Owan, Hon. Aitalegbe Ernest, popularly known as “China Boy,” has also emerged as one of the prominent young political figures gaining traction as the incoming Chairman of the local government, further reinforcing the expanding generational transition currently taking shape across Edo State.

The same pattern is visible across government institutions and strategic agencies.

Pastor Stanley Dave Ighodaro, a successful entrepreneur with thriving business interests in Europe, now heads the Edo State Parks and Gardens Agency. His emergence reflects an increasingly important shift towards bringing professionally exposed and globally minded younger individuals into governance and public administration.

Similarly, Kassim Otono, who serves as Special Adviser on Oil and Gas to the Executive Governor of Edo State, represents another example of younger technocratic involvement within the present administration. His inclusion within such a strategic sector underscores the growing confidence being placed in younger professionals and politically aware technocrats within government.

This is how enduring institutions are built.

A political party that refuses to regenerate itself eventually becomes intellectually stagnant, structurally weak, and electorally disconnected from evolving social realities.

Governor Monday Okpebholo deserves commendation for recognising that governance in a rapidly changing society cannot remain permanently tied to political methods and leadership assumptions developed several decades ago. Contemporary governance demands adaptability, technological awareness, stronger grassroots engagement, administrative energy, and a deeper connection with younger populations.

Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe equally deserves credit for helping stabilise the party while managing this difficult but necessary transition process. Generational shifts are never easy within political systems historically dominated by established interests. Resistance is inevitable. Political resentment is expected. Internal anxieties naturally emerge whenever old monopolies begin to weaken.

Leadership, however, requires courage.

The recently concluded primaries further revealed this evolving direction within the APC. The emergence of candidates such as Rt. Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, Osazee Igbinovia, Dr. Emmanuel Paddy Iyamu, Omosede Igbinedion, Sir Lucky Eseigbe, and Odianosen Okojie reflects a growing political philosophy that increasingly values capacity, grassroots relevance, contemporary appeal, and generational continuity.

Equally symbolic is the emergence of several young Acting Local Government Council Chairmen who are now candidates of the party in the forthcoming local government elections. That development sends a powerful message across Edo State that political participation is gradually becoming more accessible to younger people with competence, commitment, and organisational value.

For too long, many young people in Edo politics were reduced to political spectators, social media defenders, praise singers, or election-day foot soldiers while actual power remained tightly guarded elsewhere. Such a model was never sustainable.

A society that continuously sidelines its younger generation ultimately weakens its own political future.

The ongoing transition within Edo APC does not amount to hostility towards elders or experienced political actors. Experience remains valuable. Elder statesmen still possess institutional memory and political wisdom that younger actors can benefit from immensely. Mentorship, however, must never become political suffocation. Guidance must never evolve into permanent political domination.

Every generation deserves the opportunity to participate meaningfully in shaping the future it will eventually inherit.

That is precisely why the current direction of the APC leadership in Edo State deserves objective acknowledgement rather than emotional hostility.

Many of those attacking Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe today are not truly angry about party administration. Their deeper discomfort arises from the reality that political influence is gradually shifting away from old centres of control towards a newer generation of actors who may no longer depend entirely on traditional political gatekeepers for relevance or survival.

Societies evolve.

Political cultures evolve.

Leadership itself evolves.

No generation owns political power forever.

Ultimately, the future of Edo State cannot be built exclusively around recycled political veterans whose greatest political moments belong largely to the past. A forward-looking society must continuously create room for younger leadership, newer ideas, fresh administrative energy, and modern political thinking.

That future is already unfolding within the APC in Edo State.

History may eventually remember Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe and Governor Monday Okpebholo as central figures in the difficult but necessary political transition that began moving Edo away from recycled political dominance towards a broader and younger leadership culture capable of preparing the state for a different era.

Daniel Aroren Noah Osa-Ogbegie is a Benin based legal practitioner and public intellectual from Uhunmwode Local Government Area.