By Hon. Godwin Anaughe
Panic has taken over the political scene in Delta Central Senatorial District. After Senator Ovie Omo-Agege returned home to a vibrant, enthusiastic crowd that practically shut down Osubi, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori panicked. In a rush, he instructed Ughelli North Chairman Jaro Egbo to orchestrate a fake “declaration” for Senator Ede Dafinone this Sunday, April 26, 2026. This isn’t politics. It’s terror. And it’s bound to hurt the APC not only in Delta Central but across Delta State.
Omo-Agege’s decision to run for the Senate was a significant move for the sake of party unity. He had the option to challenge Oborevwori for the governorship ticket, which could have led to a split in the APC. He could have easily walked away, revitalized the opposition, and aimed for the governorship himself, watching Oborevwori’s political dreams fall apart. But instead, he chose to step back. He reached out with an olive branch for the good of the party and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by opting for the Senate. In doing so, he helped prevent a civil war within the party. Oborevwori should have recognized that opportunity and grab it. Instead, he chose the path of war.
This move by Governor Oborevwori is fueled by the Okpe Agenda — bold and alive. Back in 2024, a traditional ruler called Dafinone to his hotel suite at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja, where he was told that “Okpe holds both the Governorship and the Senate today, and we must keep both in 2027.” Dafinone received some harsh orders — he was to do whatever it took to block Omo-Agege’s governorship within the APC. And he did just that.
For two years, he has been undermining Omo-Agege, the very man who helped him get to the Senate. Worse, Oborevwori’s support for Dafinone comes with a rotten pact: Ede gets just one term, then he must step aside for Oborevwori’s own Senate bid in 2031. Sunday’s Ughelli spectacle is just the second act of that coup. The Senate is now a palace stool and a retirement plan.
But let’s be clear: the APC isn’t a royal palace, and Delta Central isn’t the Okpe Kingdom. We’re talking about 23 Urhobo kingdoms spread over eight local government areas and three federal constituencies.
Trying to force Dafinone on the other 22 kingdoms, completely disregarding the traditional balance of power between the Eastern and Western Urhobo Divisions, is a recipe for disaster that could tear the APC apart. Ughelli will rise up. Udu will rise up. Ethiope will rise up. The APC can’t expect to win Delta in 2027 by disrespecting the Eastern Urhobo and the warriors who built the APC from 2014 to 2025, long before Oborevwori defected to the APC.
When a governor directs council chairman to announce a sitting senator’s re-election bid, it’s a clear sign that senator’s political career is already over. And when this happens just 48 hours after your rival shuts down Osubi, it’s basically waving a white flag. Oborevwori could feel the ground shifting beneath him. He heard the uproar from Osubi to Orogun. He realized that the heart of the APC truly belongs to Omo-Agege — the complete opposite of the falsehoods he peddles in Abuja — and he cracked under the pressure. So, he played his final card: a coronation by proxy.
Egbo’s announcement of Dafinone declaration isn’t about power; it’s about bankruptcy. Real politicians step up and declare their candidacies themselves. They engage with the people instead of hiding behind LGA chairmen, emergency rallies, and paying for crowds. Calling it the “mother of all declarations” is just a bad joke.
If Dafinone had a real support base, Egbo wouldn’t need to be his mouthpiece, and citizens wouldn’t have to be taxed to fill seats. If Oborevwori had any respect for the APC, he wouldn’t be orchestrating rallies from Government House like a dictator. If he genuinely wants President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to win Delta in 2027, he wouldn’t risk the party on someone whose candidacy would alienate the over ten thousand APC members that showed up at Federal Polytechnic, Orogun, for Omo-Agege.
Oborevwori seems to be putting his own ambition for the Senate in 2031 ahead of President Tinubu’s success in 2027. Having Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege on the ballot alongside the President would secure Delta. But with Ede Dafinone on the ticket, he risks splitting the party and handing Delta over to the opposition.
Any strategist worth their salt knows this, and so does Oborevwori. But he’s more focused on 2031 and the Okpe agenda than on what matters for President Tinubu and APC in 2027. If Dafinone isn’t just a political lightweight, he should take responsibility for his own declaration instead of relying on this government-driven charade. He needs to go to Abraka, Mosogar, Jesse, Oghara, Agbarha, and Orogun. He should explain why he’s been silent for three years in Abuja. He needs to tell the Urhobo people why they should trade a general for a palace errand boy who’s only serving a one-term stint.
Omo-Agege made a real impact in Delta, even shutting down Osubi because he cared. As a Senator, he helped legalize FUPRE, established Federal Polytechnic Orogun, built the Federal University of Medical and Health Sciences in Kwale, and brought an Oil and Gas Industrial Park to Delta. That’s why the people rallied behind him. What has Dafinone done to inspire that kind of support? A Facebook post from Jaro Egbo and some backroom deal for 2031?
Oborevwori was admitted to APC to strengthen it, not to slaughter it. Omo-Agege gave him peace on a platter by burying his own governorship ambition. Trampling that olive branch to seize governorship and senate tickets for one kingdom — and to reserve the Senate for himself in 2031 — is not politics. It’s political suicide. Learn from Rochas Okorocha, Imo 2023. He wanted Senate for himself, governorship for his son-in-law. He got nothing. He buried himself. If Oborevwori grabs both tickets today to secure his own Senate tomorrow, he digs his own grave and APC’s. It tells 22 kingdoms they are slaves. It tells every APC member that Government House owns their future.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National leadership of APC must kill Oborevwori’s Okpe Agenda and his 2031 tenancy deal now — or own the disaster in 2027. If APC drinks this poison, Delta Central will execute the party. And we’ll deserve the firing squad.
Hon. Anaughe is an APC chieftain, political strategist, and public affairs analyst.