The Deputy President of the 9th Senate and former Delta State APC governorship candidate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has accused the PDP-led State Government of marginalising the people of Ndokwa East local government area of the State.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting with APC elders, leaders, and members in Aboh, Ndokwa East LGA, Omo-Agege lamented that despite the area’s significant contributions to the state’s revenue, there was little to show in terms of tangible infrastructure development.
Addressing the underdevelopment in Ndokwa East, he said, “Look at Abor, where we are today—no telephone network, yearly flooding, and yet none of these issues have caught the attention of the Delta State Government. Is there anyone here who is not feeling the pains of underdevelopment?
“My challenge to the state government is simple: What have they done to address these challenges? Or is Ndokwa East not part of Delta State? With all your contributions to the state’s revenue, what do you have to show except neglect?”
He assured that when APC takes over government in 2027, Ndokwa East will get special attention.
According to him, “Ndokwa East is a special local government area; this is so because my deputy comes from here. In the last election, because of the fear of my deputy, PDP paid special attention to Ndokwa East. Overnight, they appointed three Commissioners, many Executive Assistants, and Senior Special Assistants. But despite all that, we came very close to winning the local government, losing by just about a thousand votes, according to INEC’s declared results.”
He further alleged that PDP manipulated the 2023 election results, stating, “One thing that is clear from the votes we got is that our over 9,000 votes are organic and legitimate votes. But that can’t be said of their own. Like someone said here, where they got 300, they would add one in front to make it 1,300, and that is how they won, unlike our votes, which are genuine.”
Omo-Agege also claimed that the PDP attempted to buy over APC ward and local government executives before the elections. “Recall that two weeks to the election, as one of our leaders here mentioned, they went around offering our Ward and Local Government executives N5 million each to defect to PDP. That is why, overnight, some of our executives decamped. However, those who took the money have been abandoned, and the N5 million they collected has long been spent.”
He urged APC members to remain united, emphasising that politics is a game of number and that every member, regardless of when they joined, is important. “Politics is about numbers. One person alone cannot deliver a local government. Our strength lies in our ability to expand and bring more people into the party. We saw the difference in the results from 2019 and 2023 because we grew our support base.”
Omo-Agege assured the party faithful that their efforts in the last election were not in vain, urging them not to be discouraged. “Among all the nine LGAs in Delta North, you performed exceptionally well. You came very close to winning the local government for us, but for forces beyond your control. With a little push, I believe you can take us across the finish line. So, don’t be discouraged.”
He also called for unity among APC leaders, stating, “In every political family, just like in our personal families, people have disagreements, but they always settle. Whatever issues exist among our leaders, they will be resolved for the good of our party. We are brothers and sisters; we will not fight to the death. So, go about mobilizing new members to join our party. Let the leaders handle their disagreements and find common ground.”
