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PETITION BY CONCERNED LEADERS AND ELDERS OF DELTA STATE APC TO THE STATE CHAIRMAN, ELDER OMENI SOBOTIE AGAINST SENATOR OVIE OMO-AGEGE OVER GROSS MISMANAGEMENT OF CAMPAIGN FINANCES, ANTI-PARTY ACTIVITIES, AND BETRAYAL OF THE APC IN DELTA STATE
Elder Omeni Sobotie
State Chairman,
All Progressives Congress (APC),
Delta State,
State Secretariat,
Asaba
Sir,
We, the undersigned leaders and elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, write to you with deep concern and profound disappointment regarding the conduct of the Party’s 2023 governorship candidate, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege. His actions before, during, and after the 2023 general elections not only undermined our concerted efforts but also seriously jeopardized the Party’s chances of winning the governorship elections in Delta State.
It is with utmost disappointment and righteous indignation that we bring to your attention the following grave allegations against Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, which rendered him unfit to be entrusted with any future leadership position in our Party, particularly the governorship ticket, with grave consequences for the Party in 2027.
His actions are a blatant display of impunity, betrayal, and financial recklessness, and it is imperative that we address these issues to ensure that the APC remains strong and united in our quest for victory in the coming elections.
1. GROSS MISMANAGEMENT OF CAMPAIGN FINANCES AND SABOTAGE OF THE 2023 GOVERNORSHIP CAMPAIGN
It is an indisputable fact that despite receiving billions of naira in campaign funds, Sen. Omo-Agege failed woefully to ensure a well-funded and coordinated governorship campaign in Delta State. Shockingly, instead of deploying these funds effectively, he deliberately starved the Party’s campaign council, rendering the entire exercise a shadow of what was expected of a party like the APC.
To the shock and embarrassment of Party leaders and members, only a paltry sum of ₦100,000 was disbursed per unit across the entire state—an amount grossly inadequate to sustain any serious electioneering efforts. This reckless mismanagement and hoarding of funds critically weakened the Party's logistics and the capacity of our agents to mobilize the grassroots, thereby giving undue advantage to our political opponents. This was despite the fact that Omo-Agege received substantial financial support from both the Party itself and external benefactors to execute a robust campaign.
This financial mismanagement and deliberate underfunding led to a poorly executed campaign, widespread disillusionment among party faithful, and ultimately contributed to our defeat at the polls by the well-funded opposition PDP.
The questions that demand urgent answers are: where did all the funds go? Who authorized this reckless mismanagement that left party loyalists lost and abandoned on the battlefield? It is on record that the Director-General of the Delta APC Governorship Campaign Council, Elder Godsday Orubebe, openly told the whole world at the stakeholders' meeting, which was called after the disastrous election outing, that he knows nothing about how the campaign funds were expended.
This level of financial misappropriation is not only a betrayal of trust but an affront to all hardworking APC members who sacrificed their time and effort for the Party's success—to no avail.
2. UNILATERAL IMPOSITION OF UNPOPULAR CANDIDATES THROUGH FINANCIAL INDUCEMENT
Sen. Omo-Agege also subverted the democratic process by imposing his preferred candidates for the Delta State House of Assembly elections. This was done at the expense of candidates who had won the primaries fairly, in clear violation of Party guidelines. His actions were purely motivated by financial inducements, including allegedly receiving huge sums from the former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other influential individuals, leading to the Party’s loss in key constituencies such as Ika South State Constituency. This reckless imposition of unpopular candidates significantly weakened the APC’s electoral fortunes and alienated loyal Party members.
3. EXCLUSION OF PARTY EXECUTIVES FROM 2023 GOVERNORSHIP CAMPAIGN ACTIVITIES
As the 2023 governorship candidate, Sen. Omo-Agege excluded the Party’s Executive Committee at all levels from key campaign activities. Rather than operating an all-inclusive campaign, he sidelined key Party stakeholders, ran the campaign as his personal project, and alienated grassroots supporters. His dictatorial approach created disunity within the Party, leading to widespread voter apathy and a weakened campaign structure.
4. CONTINUED NEGLECT AND STARVATION OF THE PARTY STRUCTURE
Since the inauguration of the present APC State Executive Committee in Delta State, Sen. Omo-Agege has deliberately refused to fund or support the party in any capacity. As a supposed leader, his failure to ensure the growth and stability of the Party has left its structures weak and ineffective at different levels.
Furthermore, we have concrete evidence that funds amounting to ₦78 million, sent by the National Secretariat for the Party’s electoral activities in Delta State, were hijacked by Sen. Omo-Agege. Rather than allowing the Party leadership to manage and disburse these funds for the intended purpose, he directed that ₦50 million be transferred to his personal assistant, Mr. Lucky Ajos, without any explanation, raises serious questions about his motives and integrity.
5. ANTI-PARTY ACTIVITIES AND SABOTAGE IN ETHIOPE FEDERAL CONSTITUENCY
Beyond financial mismanagement, Sen. Omo-Agege engaged in direct acts of betrayal and anti-party activities against the Party. It is a well-documented fact that Sen. Omo-Agege actively worked against the interests of the APC in Ethiope Federal Constituency by conspiring to sabotage the electoral victory of Hon. John Halims Agoda, the duly nominated candidate of the Party.
Instead of throwing his support behind our candidate, Sen. Omo-Agege, in an ignoble act of betrayal, personally instructed Hon. Innocent Anidi, the former Minority Leader of the Delta State House of Assembly, to cancel the results of Ethiope East Eku Ward 9, where Hon. Halims Agoda was leading the PDP candidate by over 2000 votes. This unconscionable act of sabotage handed victory to the rival PDP candidate and cost our Party the election in Ethiope Federal Constituency.
Evidence at our disposal, as captured in a video recording that is now widely in circulation, showed Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege openly confessed and admitted that he worked for the victory of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party candidate against his own Party's candidate. Such brazen betrayal is inconceivable and in direct violation of the principles of party loyalty and unity. By actively working against the success of an APC candidate in favor of an opposition candidate, Sen. Omo-Agege has demonstrated that his personal interests supersede those of the Party.
It is beyond comprehension that an APC governorship candidate would conspire against his own Party’s candidate in a critical federal election of such magnitude, particularly when the presidential elections were simultaneously taking place, invariably causing defeat for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, resulting him scoring just 14% of vote cast which fell short of the mandatory constitutional 25%, all for selfish interests. It is beyond question that no true leader of the APC would engage in such an outrageous display of treacherous disloyalty. This is unacceptable and should not be tolerated within our Party.
6. DELIBERATE ABSENCE DURING THE CONSULTATIVE VISIT TO DELTA STATE AND DISLOYALTY TO PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU
As if his financial deeds and anti-party activities were not enough, Sen. Omo-Agege further displayed his disregard for the Party's leadership and vision. A clear example of this was his grievous offense of blatant disloyalty to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, both during the presidential campaign and at the national convention.
It would be recalled that during the crucial period of the 2023 electioneering activities, when President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, then a presidential aspirant, paid a consultative visit to Delta State in search of delegates who would vote for him at the national convention, Sen. Omo-Agege deliberately absented himself, failing to show any form of support or solidarity with Mr. President.
While every committed party stakeholder rallied around our now-president, Sen. Omo-Agege was nowhere to be found. By refusing to participate in this landmark visit, Sen. Omo-Agege sent a dangerous signal that his personal ambition outweighed the collective progress of our great Party, as he was never fully committed to the eventual victory of Mr. President. This is unbecoming of a man who now aspires to be the Party's gubernatorial candidate come 2027.
Even more alarming was his refusal to provide a bulletproof car for the use and safety of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, despite being informed—a standard security measure that any committed Party leader would have prioritized. The situation was becoming a fiasco for the Party, but for the timely intervention of a prominent leader of the Party who came to the rescue by gladly providing his personal bulletproof jeep to convey Mr. President to the venue of the occasion.
7. DEVILISH SCHEMES AT THE NATIONAL CONVENTION TO THWART THE EMERGENCE OF PRESIDENT BOLA AHMED TINUBU AS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE OF THE PARTY
Furthermore, at the APC National Convention to nominate the presidential candidate of the Party, Omo-Agege once again exhibited his characteristic disdain for Mr. President. Instead of rallying support for the Party’s eventual candidate, Sen. Omo-Agege directed Delta delegates not to vote for him, which was responsible for the poor votes of 20 delegates out of 50, demonstrating clear and unforgivable betrayal.
How can the APC hierarchy trust such a man with the governorship ticket in 2027 when he has proven time and again that his loyalty lies only with himself and not with the Party or its leadership?
8. SABOTAGE OF SEN. GODSWILL AKPABIO’S SENATE PRESIDENCY ELECTION
During the election of the Senate President, Sen. Omo-Agege deliberately misled Delta senators Ede Dafinone and Joel Onowakpo-Thomas, instructing them to vote against Sen. Godswill Akpabio, contrary to the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC leadership. This act of insubordination not only embarrassed the Party but also positioned Delta APC against the leadership of President Tinubu, thereby jeopardizing our state’s relationship with the Federal Government.
9. PERSISTENT REFUSAL TO WORK WITH OTHER LEADERS AND PARTY STAKEHOLDERS
Rather than fostering unity within the Party, Sen. Omo-Agege has continually alienated other APC leaders in Delta State. His approach to Party leadership is one of domination and exclusion, as evidenced in the last congresses, where he single-handedly manipulated the processes to his advantage using his then-position as Deputy President of the Senate. This autocratic style has driven many dedicated Party members away and significantly weakened our Party’s grassroots structures.
This dictatorial style was a major contributory factor to our gubernatorial loss in Delta State, as it was an undeniable fact that Sen. Omo-Agege’s divisive and self-serving leadership played a key role in our Party’s failure in the 2023 governorship election. His unwillingness to rally all Party stakeholders, his monopolization of campaign resources, and his alienation of grassroots mobilizers created discontent and disunity within our ranks. Instead of presenting a formidable and united front, he prioritized personal control over the Party, leading to our unfortunate defeat.
Subsequently, in a determined effort to avoid these pitfalls in the coming elections, the Party set up a comprehensive reconciliation process to rebuild the Party in Delta State, ensuring that no single individual is allowed to hijack the Party’s structures for selfish interests. Unfortunately, Sen. Omo-Agege has been doing everything possible to frustrate the implementation of the recommendations of the reconciliation committee that was intended to bring sustainable peace to the Party, instead preferring the "winner takes all" approach.
10. FRAUDULENT ENDORSEMENT SCHEME FOR THE 2027 GOVERNORSHIP ELECTION
In a desperate bid to impose himself as the Party’s governorship candidate for the 2027 elections, Sen. Omo-Agege has resorted to fraudulent tactics by compiling and publishing a list of unsuspecting APC members as endorsing him, when in reality, no such endorsement has taken place. This unethical maneuvering is unacceptable and a clear attempt to manipulate the Party structure for personal ambition at the expense of unity and fairness.
Given these undeniable and overwhelming acts of financial mismanagement, anti-party sabotage, betrayal, and outright disloyalty, we, the concerned leaders and elders of the APC in Delta State, declare that Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege is unfit to hold any leadership position in the APC going forward, let alone be considered for the 2027 governorship ticket. Consequently, we make the following demands:
1. We call upon the State Working Committee (SWC) of the APC to launch a full inquiry by immediately setting up an investigative panel to probe Sen. Omo-Agege’s handling of campaign finances and his anti-party activities, with appropriate sanctions meted out if found culpable.
2. That official disciplinary actions be taken against him for his deliberate sabotage of Hon. John Halims Agoda’s election and his betrayal of the APC in Delta State, to serve as a deterrent to future acts of betrayal and sabotage.
3. Full audit of the campaign funds received by Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege, including an explanation of the N50 million sent to Mr. Lucky Ajos.
4. To reaffirm discipline and loyalty, the Party must ensure that no individual, regardless of position, undermines its integrity and interests, and under no circumstances should Sen. Omo-Agege be considered for the APC governorship ticket in 2027, as he has demonstrated beyond doubt that he is not trustworthy, committed, or loyal to the Party’s cause, and to reject any attempt to impose him as the gubernatorial candidate, as such a move would spell disaster for the Party in Delta State.
The APC in Delta State deserves a trustworthy candidate who is transparent, committed, and loyal to both the Party and its leadership at the national level. We cannot afford to entrust our future in the hands of a man who has repeatedly undermined our collective efforts for his own selfish personal gain.
Failure to address these serious infractions will set a dangerous precedent and weaken the Party's credibility in Delta State and beyond. We trust in your leadership and urge you to act decisively to restore faith in the Party's internal democracy.
APC Renewed Hope
SIGNED:
Concerned APC Leaders and Elders
