From Paul Osuyi, Asaba
Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege has boasted that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would dislodge the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State in the 2023 governorship election.
Sen Omo-Agege, who is being touted as the preferred governorship candidate of the APC, said Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and most leaders of the PDP were already aware that the time was up for the umbrella party.
He spoke while receiving about 5,000 defectors from the PDP into the APC in Oviri-Ogor and Ughelli urban in Ughelli North Local Government Area of the state.
According to him, ‘although 2023 is still far, Omo-Agege is coming. What we are going to use their eyes to see, they won’t believe it. APC has already won the 2023 election, PDP and Okowa know.
‘The youths and women are the owners of the party and owners of the town and not the leaders. They are the ones that can make or spoil a town. I say this not to undermine our leaders.’
The senator assured the defectors that they would be treated equally with other members of the party, saying: ‘I welcome you all to this party and I promise you that you will enjoy every privilege that others are enjoying. Whether you are old or new you are all equal.
‘In this party, we don’t have joiners and founders and that is what separates me from other leaders. They will say this and this just joined the party yesterday but I don’t believe in that, whether yesterday or today, you are all one.’
The outgoing state chairman of APC, Jones Erue and the state chairman-elect, Omeni Sobotie, among other party leaders, joined the Deputy Senate President to receive the defectors.
President General of Oviri-Ogor Monday Otobrise who led the defectors in the town said they were endeared to Ovie Omo-Agege due to his accessibility, adding that for the first time they were having a representative that is always in touch with them.
‘Omo-Agege gave us new transformers, street lights, renovated our schools, gave us empowerment, and all these he did being a member of the opposition party.
‘Things that our party, the party we worked for, the party we delivered cannot do for us, he has done for us. We have seen that he has the light and have decided to follow him,’ Otobrise said.
David Okorare who spoke on behalf of the former PDP members in Ughelli urban said they were proud of the leadership style of the senator.
Okorare said their decision to dump PDP stemmed from the purposeful representation and leadership of Omo-Agege.
He commended Sen Omo-Agege for his human capacity and infrastructural development effort in the Delta Central Senatorial district, adding that he has empowered so many persons and influenced many people-oriented projects in the area.