Former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has fired back at the member representing Ughelli North/Ughelli South/Udu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Francis E. Waive, over their escalating dispute on the legislative history of the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ovwian.
Omo-Agege, through his Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications, Godwin Anaughe, accused Waive of “clutching at straws”, insisting that available documentary records contradict the lawmaker’s account of an alleged intervention by the former senator over the FMC Ovwian Bill, HB 989.
The latest exchange comes amid the political differences between the two Delta Central politicians, with Waive now in the APC and Omo-Agege in the NDC, as both camps trade accusations over the history of the FMC project, which has since received government approval.
Timeline Dispute Over the FMC Ovwian Bill
Waive had alleged that Omo-Agege asked him to abandon the FMC Ovwian Bill to pave the way for the Federal Polytechnic, Orogun.
But Anaughe, in a statement on Tuesday, rejected the claim, pointing to the February 23, 2021 presidential approval for the Federal Polytechnic, Orogun, as part of the documentary timeline he said contradicted Waive’s account.
He noted that the FMC Ovwian Bill had passed first reading in the House of Representatives on July 21, 2020, several months before the Orogun polytechnic received presidential approval.
The bill subsequently passed second reading on November 16, 2021, while its committee report was laid in 2022.
Anaughe therefore questioned why Omo-Agege would allegedly ask Waive to kill the Ovwian bill in 2022 to make way for a polytechnic whose approval had already been obtained in 2021.
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Omo-Agege’s Camp Questions Waive’s Claim
He also argued that Omo-Agege, who served as Deputy Senate President during the Ninth National Assembly, could not have single-handedly stopped a bill before the House of Representatives.
According to him, HB 989 never reached the Senate for concurrence during the Ninth Assembly.
“You cannot kill a Bill that never came before you,” Anaughe said.
Waive, however, has maintained that the approval of the Federal Polytechnic, Orogun, does not disprove an alleged private conversation between him and Omo-Agege concerning the Ovwian project.
Waive Challenges Omo-Agege’s Camp for Evidence
In his response, Waive argued that a document relating to the approval of another federal institution could not establish what was or was not discussed privately between two politicians.
He challenged Omo-Agege and his representatives to produce records specifically relating to any alleged intervention over the FMC Ovwian Bill.
Waive also rejected attempts to question his legislative record, faith and qualifications, maintaining that his stewardship remained open to public scrutiny.
But Omo-Agege’s camp, in its latest response, challenged Waive to produce any evidence supporting his allegation, including a witness statement, text message, correspondence, official memo or committee record showing that Omo-Agege asked him to stop, delay or abandon the bill.
Anaughe further accused Waive of attempting to shift the burden of proof by asking Omo-Agege to disprove an alleged private conversation.
Political Battle Beyond the FMC Dispute
The war of words has continued despite the approval of the FMC Ovwian, with the dispute now centred on the legislative journey of HB 989, alleged political interference and the respective roles claimed by the two politicians in the project.
Both camps have continued to insist that their positions are supported by the facts, while the controversy has increasingly taken on the character of a wider political battle between the opposing APC and NDC camps in Delta Central.
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