The Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected allegations made by former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, linking the party to recent incidents of political violence in the state, describing the claims as false, inflammatory and politically motivated.
Key Highlights:
- Delta APC rejected Omo-Agege’s allegations linking the party to political violence.
- The party described the claims as false, inflammatory, and politically motivated.
- APC insisted its PTI stakeholders’ meeting was peaceful and broadcast live.
- It challenged Omo-Agege to provide evidence to security agencies.
- The party urged peaceful politics and impartial investigations ahead of the 2027 elections.
The rebuttal comes a day after Omo-Agege, through a statement issued on his behalf by his Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications, Mr. Godwin Anaughe, alleged an emerging pattern of political violence in Delta State and called on security agencies to investigate attacks on political gatherings ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Responding in a statement signed on Wednesday by the Delta APC State Publicity Secretary, Mr. Valentine Onojeghuo, the ruling party accused the former Deputy Senate President of attempting to divert public attention through what it described as “falsehood and theatre of the absurd.”
According to the APC, Omo-Agege’s statement was “another desperate attempt” to manufacture allegations of political violence and exploit recent events for political advantage.
“It is unfortunate that Senator Omo-Agege has chosen to exploit the regrettable incident at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) Conference Centre, Effurun, for cheap political opportunism by peddling a concocted narrative of political thuggery allegedly orchestrated by the APC. Nothing could be further from the truth,” the statement read.
The party also rejected Omo-Agege’s attempt to link the PTI incident with his allegation that hoodlums prevented the governorship candidate of the New Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Chris Iyovwaye, from visiting his Agholokpe community.
Describing the allegations as “completely false and disgraceful,” the APC maintained that there was no evidence connecting the party with either incident.
The ruling party insisted that it remained committed to democratic principles and had never encouraged or condoned political violence.
“Delta APC wishes to state unequivocally that it is a law-abiding democratic party founded on the principles of constitutional governance with an unwavering respect for the rule of law. We neither condone nor encourage violence in any form. Any attempt to associate our party with criminality without credible evidence is malicious, defamatory and politically motivated,” Onojeghuo stated.
The APC further maintained that the Delta Central leaders and stakeholders’ meeting held at the PTI Conference Centre was peaceful throughout its duration.
According to the party, the meeting was broadcast live by national television stations, arguing that attempts to portray the gathering as violent amounted to a deliberate effort to malign the APC.
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“That meeting was conducted peacefully from start to finish and was broadcast live by ARISE Television and TVC News for all Nigerians to see. Any attempt to associate the incident with the APC meeting is a deliberate act of mischief intended to whip up unwarranted public sentiment and malign our party,” the statement added.
The party also faulted Omo-Agege’s allegation that the APC was planning a coordinated campaign of violence ahead of the 2027 elections, describing the claim as reckless and unsupported by evidence.
It challenged the former Deputy Senate President to submit any credible evidence in his possession to the appropriate security agencies instead of making what it described as “media trials.”
“If Senator Omo-Agege possesses credible evidence to support these claims, he should present it to the appropriate security agencies instead of resorting to media trials designed to inflame passions and mislead the public,” the APC said.
While welcoming what it described as a comprehensive, impartial and professional investigation into all reported incidents of violence, the party expressed confidence that such investigations would establish the facts and disprove the allegations levelled against it.
The APC also urged residents of Delta State to disregard what it termed a campaign of misinformation, insisting that the state had continued to enjoy relative peace and development under the administration of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.
Calling on political actors to exercise restraint as the 2027 general elections approach, the party urged all stakeholders to promote peaceful democratic engagement and allow security agencies to carry out their constitutional responsibilities without political interference.
