Omo-Agege camp rejects Emerhor’s APC ‘founding leader’ claim

The media team of former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has berated Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, rejecting his claim to be the “founding leader and central pillar” of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, insisting that “history will not be rewritten.” In a statement titled “Rejoinder: Emerhor Did Not Build APC Delta. History […]

The media team of former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has berated Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, rejecting his claim to be the “founding leader and central pillar” of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, insisting that “history will not be rewritten.”

In a statement titled “Rejoinder: Emerhor Did Not Build APC Delta. History Will Not Be Rewritten”, issued by the Senator Ovie Omo-Agege Media Team, signed by
Bldr Emoefe Lawrence described Emerhor’s claim as “false, revisionist, and disrespectful to the memory of the late Senator S. O. Okpozo and the early pioneers who laid the party’s ideological and organisational foundation.”

The group argued that APC in Delta was built by “many leaders and thousands of foot soldiers across Delta Central, Delta North, and Delta South,” adding that “No single individual owns that sacrifice.”

“Emerhor did not build APC Delta. The title he now brandishes was thrust on him as political appeasement to placate his inflated ego and mask his desperation for relevance,” the statement said, adding that, “He did not earn it through sacrifice, vision, or results. He was handed it.”

The Omo-Agege camp further accused Emerhor of running an exclusionary structure during his time in the party.

According to the statement, “party congresses stopped being party affairs. They became private events coordinated by staff of his company while real party leaders were locked out of rooms where officials were selected.”

They alleged that respected figures such as Chief Fidelis Tilije and Dr Otive Igbuzor were sidelined, and Tilije eventually left the party, while others were frustrated out of the party.

“That strategy stalled APC growth for years. You cannot be the architect of a house you helped burn,” the statement said.

To buttress its argument, the media team cited Emerhor’s electoral record. It recalled that he was APC’s first candidate in Delta when he contested the 2013 Delta Central Senatorial by-election following the death of Senator Pius Ewherido, claiming he lost to Senator Emmanuel Agwariavwodo by 263,024 votes to 29,075.

The statement also said Emerhor placed third in the 2015 governorship election behind Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and Labour Party candidate Great Ogboru, polling 67,825 votes.

They accused Emerhor of seeking relevance through attacks on Omo-Agege while aligning with Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.

“The same man who postured as Delta’s saviour now reduces himself to barking on command for Governor Sheriff Oborevwori — the same man who did not deem him fit for the 2027 Delta Central senate ticket.” The statement added that “when a leader’s only currency is outburst, his time has expired.”

The Omo-Agege media team insisted that the APC’s electoral breakthrough in Delta came only after the former deputy senate president joined the party.

“The facts are stubborn: only after Senator Ovie Omo-Agege joined APC did the party begin to win elections in Delta. That is the difference between claiming leadership and proving it with results,” it said.