‘Omo-Agege has not unfolded governorship ambition’

Former House of Representatives member Halims Agoda (Ethiope Constituency)spoke with POLYCARP OROSEVWOTU in Asaba, the capital of Delta State, on the recent attack on Deputy Senate Leader Ovie Omo-Agege and other partisan issues.

 

There have been allegations against the Deputy Senate President, Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege by a civil society group. What is your take on this?

What is playing out now is mendacity of mischief against the Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, and it has always been the misbegotten norm in Nigeria that each time a new generation throws up a key actor in the nation’s political matrix, there is often a surprising stampede among professional huzzlers and spoilers.

The stampede is always borne out of envy, misgiving and the vaunting ambition of the desperate.

As always, their new found past-time is actuated by the craze to pull down those for whom the good fortune of providence has manifested and whose time has clearly come to play their parts in nation’s building.

Were this not the case, it would have been utterly elusive to rationalize the push of some persons who are now masquerading as members of some nebulous civil society organizations seeking the ouster from the Senate of the federal republic, the distinguished senator Ovie Omo-Agege of Delta Central Senatorial District, who, by the grace of God, is the incumbent deputy President of the Senate.

His emergence as the foremost political leader of the moment in Delta State and the South-South Geopolitical Zone has understandably triggered off enormous political dysentery for a few political spoilers and unsettled their foot soldiers.

In their warped and ludicrous  claims, the distinguished senator was “convicted” by a court in the United States of America, and that for this reason, he no longer merits being the senator representing Delta Central let alone being the deputy President of the Senate.

They have since began, on account of this doubtful and mendacious claim, gone on a media frenzy to put him on trial and convict him in the court of public opinion.

Just suddenly, Senator Omo-Agege needed to be the Deputy President of the Senate for them to be awakened from their stupor to try to bring him down because of an imaginary court conviction. And this Urhobo will not accept it.

Where could this be coming from?

That is our surprise as a nation. In close to three decades that he has been holding public offices, especially in his home state of Delta, none of these persons or civil society organizations, consider it worthwhile to throw up mud and dirt at this illustrious son of Urhoboland for just no cause.

This is the ugly face and paradox of this misadventure against our own Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege by no other persons but his own people domiciled in Delta State and in other parts of the South-south.

It is too bad for such persons, groups or individuals to have conceived such evil plans against their own brother.

 

Could all these be coming because of his rising profile that such individuals are not comfortable with?

Since his assumption of office as a member of the Senate, his performance has been quite sterling. He is not just a statistical number in the Senate; he is indeed a functional member with many motions and bills to his credit at such a short time of his membership.

Read Also: Omo-Agege and challenge of constitution review

 

Those who are at daggers-drawn with him must not discount his pedigree and antecedents. As a player now at the national arena, he is not a novice in understanding the fundamentals and the dynamics of the politics and power play of his homeland.

He understands the inviolability and sanctity of the subsisting zonal power rotation among his people and the senatorial districts.

How would you describe the manner the social media is going about the issue?

It is laughable and a mockery of the social and cultural values of Urhoboland and indeed Delta State to learn that this gang-up against Senator Omo-Agege has the trappings of a misguided group in his homeland and one other part of the South-south.

This lends credence to the theory that it’s all about the 2023 governorship contest in Delta State. Therefore, no one should be deceived by the antics of these laughable spoilers.  They are bent on erecting every inconceivable encumbrance to stop Omo-Agege in his tracks.

They have failed because at the moment and in the foreseeable future he remains the political reference point in the politics of his home state and the South-south.

Even though he has in his modesty not told anyone that he is interested in being the governor of Delta State, those who are always consumed by ambition are already gripped with fright of a possible indication of interest in the race by Omo-Agege.

Clearly, this is a normal human inclination, but to go to the extent to cast the senator in the mold of an “ex-convict” in order to bring him to public disrepute and ridicule is to say the least a naive and grave disservice and a repugnant miscalculation.

Even as they spew their objectionable falsehoods and antics, the senator remains the enigma that he is and continues to sparkle and dazzle his detractors. These, as his selling points, are unsettling the merchants of mischief.

The man, Senator Omo-Agege, has already put up an account of what the issues are, and having done so, and in the absence of any further controvertible claims, it is advisable that the denizens of this world who are after the political career of the distinguished senator should sheath their battle swords.

The oneness of Delta State is sacrosanct and must be respected for the good of all.

So, what is the implication of these attacks on the Deputy Senate President?

My candid view about this whole scenario is that our people don’t look outside to fight those that are against the growth of Urhobo nation.

Rather, they focus their attention on their own people; the very people that will bring progress to us and these are signs of ‘pull him down’ syndrome. Until we realized this and stop it, we will end up not having leaders at the national because of our attitude of bringing down our own and allowing outsider come in.

It is always wrong to have this mindset that if it is not me, it must not be someone else. Instead, let us destroy it, so that everybody will lose and thereby give room for outsiders to come and have it.