By Rita Enemuru, Reporting
SENATOR Ede Dafinone, the incumbent representing Delta Central, has revealed why he defeated his predecessor, Ovie Omo-Agege, in Monday’s All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial primary, insisting that his rival’s prolonged detachment from party affairs proved fatal to his ambitions.
Speaking on Arise TV from Sapele on Tuesday morning, Dafinone said Omo-Agege – a former Deputy President of the Senate – had for more than 12 months distanced himself from state-level party activities after Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and the entire structure of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defected en masse to the APC in Delta State.
“Omo-Agege did not consult with any of the APC leaders in the state and has refused to accept Governor Oborevwori as the leader of the APC in Delta,” Dafinone said.
He argued that expecting to benefit where one has refused to sow became a mirage for his opponent, who instead relied on his old APC block to garner support for the primaries.
Dafinone explained that when Oborevwori and the PDP structure collapsed into the APC over a year ago, he welcomed them and helped them integrate into the party. By contrast, he said, Omo-Agege stayed away from the defectors entirely.
ALSO READ: https://stonixnews.com/nysc-member-slumps-dies-7-days-before-passing-out-parade-in-zamfara/
“He relied heavily on his support base from the 2019 and 2023 general elections, which gave him five of the eight local government areas in Delta Central. But he neglected the new entrants into the party, and that gave me the edge,” Dafinone said.
When asked to clarify whether the party had an anointed candidate, Dafinone replied that there was nothing wrong with a political party preferring a particular aspirant.
‘Pretenders Failed to Prepare’
Meanwhile, Delta State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, has defended the conduct of the APC primaries across the state, insisting the exercises were free, fair and reflective of the wishes of party members.
Speaking on News Central Television on Tuesday morning, Aniagwu dismissed allegations of manipulation and imposition, describing many aggrieved aspirants as “pretenders” who had failed to prepare properly for the elections.
According to him, the primaries – covering all 10 federal constituencies and three senatorial districts – were conducted openly using the Option A4 voting system, making manipulation impossible.
Aniagwu singled out claims from an aspirant in the Ndokwa/Ukwuani Federal Constituency, saying the contestant lacked grassroots presence and had failed to engage party stakeholders before the election.
“Internal party elections are family affairs. You must know your party members, connect with leaders and engage the grassroots. You cannot sit in Abuja and expect people to vote for you on election day,” he said.
The commissioner praised Governor Oborevwori for allowing a level playing field, noting that victorious aspirants were those who had maintained strong relationships with party faithful. He also commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC national leadership for allowing the democratic process to prevail without interference.
“Some of them thought Abuja would simply coronate them. Unfortunately, the coronation venue became the wards, where party members queued openly to vote,” Aniagwu said.
Citing the Delta North senatorial primary, he said the overwhelming support recorded for former governor Ifeanyi Okowa against Senator Ned Nwoko clearly demonstrated the mood of party members, adding that in some wards the queues in support of Okowa discouraged opponents from even participating.
Aniagwu dismissed claims that party officials were instructed not to announce results at collation centres, insisting that results were announced transparently across the country. He explained that the APC had only established appeal panels for aggrieved aspirants, with no directive to stop returning officers from declaring results.
“Successful aspirants such as Senator Ede Dafinone and Senator Joel-Onowakpo Thomas won because they maintained constant contact with party members through consultations, empowerment programmes and grassroots mobilisation,” he said.
Aniagwu maintained that the Delta APC primaries had proved that political relevance could no longer be sustained through influence from Abuja alone without genuine grassroots support.
What's your reaction?
