BEVERLY HILLS, February 22, (THEWILL) – The Governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Chief Great Ogboru, the Senator representing Delta Central on the platform of the party, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and Speaker Emeritus of the Delta State House of Assembly and candidate of the Accord Party in the last senatorial election for Delta North, Rt. Honourable Victor Ochei are in advanced talks to merge with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), THEWILL can authoritatively report.
The politicians as well as the leadership of the political parties involved have been holding informal discussions that would see the major opposition figures in the state fuse into an enlarged APC.
THEWILL gathered that the APC following a meeting of its State Executive Council (SEC) in Warri over the weekend ratified and voted overwhelmingly in favour of the move.
Senator Omo-Agege and Rt. Hon. Ochei also confirmed that there have been talks with the APC.
A statement from Godwin Anaughe, SA, Communications and Strategy to Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, said: “Senator Ovie Omo-Agege was elected to the Senate on the platform of the Labour Party and he remains a happy member of the Party. However Delta Labour Party is in informal discussion with APC to explore possible fusion/ collaboration in the future. We await the outcome of that discussion. But suffice it to say that it is the party, not the senator, that will make the call as to the nature of our future relationship with the APC.”
A statement from Ochei’s media office said: “Speaker Emeritus, Rt. Honourable Victor Ochei has been in informal talks with the APC and discussions have reached high levels at the national and state executives of the party. We await the outcome of the deliberations…”
THEWILL could not reach Chief Ogboru via his cell phone for comments as at the time of publishing this report.
A statement by the APC said its governorship candidate in the 2015 governorship election, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor who spoke on behalf of the state chairman of the party, Prophet Jones Ode Erue, said that SEC approved a committee to commence discussions with Ogboru, Omo-Agege and Ochei groups “to formalize the modalities of the alliance that is being tailored to forge a strong opposition in the state ahead of the 2019 general elections.”
Omo-Agege, a former SSG under Chief James Ibori PDP-led government had earlier dumped the party to realize his senatorial ambition under the Labour Party.
He recently sent the PDP candidate, Chief Ighoyota Amori who had a short stint at the senate representing Delta Central Senatorial District packing after the Court of Appeal in Benin ruled against the latter and urged INEC to declare and issue a certificate of return to the former.
Ochei moved to the Accord Party (AP) to vie for a Senate seat after he lost at the last PDP governorship primaries to Governor Okowa and has been working underground with the party. There has been no love lost between Ochei and Okowa since the governor openly campaigned and worked against his senatorial bid in the last election.
Sources said that the likely fusion between the major opposition figures into the APC is already sending jittery to the Okowa camp in the state following the subterranean war ongoing in the ruling PDP in the state, which could further dismember the party.
THEWILL gathered that many other heavyweights who were earlier in the PDP and some still in the fold were bidding time to dump the party for the APC as some chieftains of the party who preferred anonymity have accused Governor Okowa of undermining their influence and sideling them after their contributions to his victory at the poll.
