Former Delta State Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Otunba Nick Ovuakporie, has delivered a scathing assessment of the political decline of former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, claiming the former senator lost control of the party structure he once dominated and was ultimately forced out by political associates he had long regarded as subordinates.
Ovuakporie spoke against the backdrop of comments previously made by Festus Keyamo, who had alleged in 2021 that Omo-Agege installed his “houseboys” as APC executives at virtually every level of the party structure in Delta State. At the time, supporters of Omo-Agege strongly rejected the allegation and dismissed Keyamo as a “WhatsApp politician.”
However, Ovuakporie said subsequent political developments had vindicated the minister’s position and exposed the erosion of Omo-Agege’s once formidable influence within the party.
The former APC state secretary pointed specifically to the recent Delta Central Senatorial primary election, where Senator Ede Dafinone, widely seen as Omo-Agege’s political protégé, emerged victorious.
Following the defeat, Omo-Agege resigned from the APC and defected to the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), vowing to dismantle the party he once claimed to have built.
After leaving the APC, Omo-Agege had declared: “I know what it takes to build a political structure and make it competitive in Delta State. We did it before for the APC when many said it was impossible.”
But Ovuakporie dismissed the former senator’s departure as neither strategic nor ideological, insisting it was driven by wounded pride and an inability to accept a diminished political status within the party.
“Having been defeated by Senator Ede Dafinone, he couldn’t stomach the humiliation of remaining in the background with those that were once regarded as his houseboys. It is indeed his desperation to remain in power that forced him to leave,” Ovuakporie disclosed.
According to him, Omo-Agege’s exit laid bare the collapse of a political machine that once appeared invincible and revealed that the former senator had become a casualty of the very structure he once controlled.
Ovuakporie described the defection as an act of desperation by a politician struggling to remain relevant in an evolving political environment.
“This is not a strategic political realignment; it is a spiritual chase,” he said. “It is the classic case of a man possessed by the demons of his own ambition, now being tormented by the reality of his irrelevance. He is a man running from his own shadow, only to find that his shadow has become his greatest nightmare.”
Continuing his criticism, Ovuakporie likened Omo-Agege’s political journey to that of desperate migrants lured by false promises, only to end up trapped and exploited.
“He has sold himself into political slavery out of sheer desperation, much like migrants who, in their quest for a mirage in Europe, end up as captives to slave merchants in the volatile deserts of Libya. He has traded his dignity for a seat at a table where he is merely a guest, not a stakeholder,” Ovuakporie said.
The APC chieftain also took aim at Omo-Agege’s new political platform, arguing that the former deputy senate president had abandoned a position of influence in a major national party only to become subordinate elsewhere.
“To willingly vacate the palace of a national party to become a houseboy to a self-styled Supreme Leader, where orders are issued with the authoritarianism of an Ayatollah, is the ultimate political degradation. He has traded his status as a statesman for the role of a political subordinate to an overlord,” he said.
Ovuakporie maintained that Omo-Agege’s departure would have no adverse effect on the APC’s fortunes in Delta State, insisting the party remains united, formidable and well-positioned ahead of the 2027 elections.
“Delta remains an APC stronghold. We will not lose a moment’s sleep over the exit of a political ingrate who rose to prominence on the back of the very party he now seeks to undermine. His departure is not a loss; it is a cleansing,” he said.
He further declared that the APC was fully prepared for future electoral contests and determined to defend its political influence in the state.
“The APC is battle-ready. We are prepared to demonstrate our electoral might against political antelopes who spend their careers jumping from one party to another, creating illusions of relevance where none exists. Our resolve to support the M.O.R.E. Agenda and ensure the continuity of good governance is non-negotiable,” Ovuakporie said.
He urged Deltans to ignore what he described as Omo-Agege’s threats against the APC and remain focused on the state’s political future.
“Deltans must remain focused. Do not be distracted by the theatrics of a political suicide bomber who detonated his own mission before ever reaching his target. 2027 is a sealed deal for the Renewed Hope of the M.O.R.E. Agenda. We are moving forward, leaving the shadows behind,” he added.
