The member representing Ughelli North Constituency I in the Delta State House of Assembly, Matthew Omonade, has dismissed allegations that he betrayed former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, insisting that his loyalty to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its leadership has remained consistent over the years.
Omonade spoke shortly after emerging unopposed in the APC direct primary election held across the five wards of Ughelli North Constituency I, where he polled a total of 6,403 votes to secure the party’s ticket for the forthcoming general elections.
His victory came amid criticisms from some political actors, who accused him of abandoning Omo-Agege, widely believed to have played a major role in his emergence into the Delta State House of Assembly.
Responding to the allegations, Omonade maintained that he never betrayed anyone, stressing that his political decisions were guided by truth, character and loyalty to the APC.
“Your character defines who you are. We live in a society where people are beginning to see truth and they will always stand by the truth,” he stated.
The lawmaker explained that he had been a pioneer member of the APC in Delta State, long before many current members joined the party.
According to him, his political and professional journey was greatly influenced by the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, whom he described as his first employer and political mentor.
“My boss, the man who gave me the platform legally, my first employer when I left the Nigerian Law School in 2011, Festus Keyamo, gave me a platform.
“I learned law under him and the connection I got today in legal practice came from him,” he said.
Omonade recalled that he was among the early promoters of the APC in Delta State, alongside late party leaders and other stakeholders, including Otega Emerhor.
He also recounted how he remained loyal to the party despite allegedly being denied the APC ticket for the state House of Assembly in 2019.
“I was deprived of the ticket, but because I wanted to show character and show a different side of politics, I chose not to go to court despite the fact that I was deprived,” he said.
Instead, he said he supported the party’s candidate and even represented him at the Election Petition Tribunal and Court of Appeal at minimal cost to demonstrate commitment to the APC.
“Sometimes people take as high as N30 million, N40 million or N50 million per case, and I did two cases for N4 million just to support my party,” he added.
Omonade further stated that his refusal to publicly attack Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, after the governor defected from the PDP to the APC was wrongly interpreted by some persons as betrayal.
The lawmaker argued that since Gov. Oborevwori had become the leader of the APC in Delta State upon joining the party, it would have been unreasonable for him to avoid party activities or engage in open confrontation with the governor.
“Certain persons expect me not to attend party meetings. Certain persons expect me to fight the governor who is the leader of my party. I am an educated person and I didn’t see the need why I should fight my governor,” he stated.
“The reason why some individuals think I have betrayed certain persons is because I did not come out to attack the governor. I did not come out to fight the governor. I am not fighting with anybody.”
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Omonade, however, said those who betrayed him in the past knew themselves and owed him an apology for pains caused by their actions.
Meanwhile, announcing the result of the primary election, the Returning Officer, Atiti Austine, said Omonade emerged as the sole aspirant in the exercise conducted through direct primaries across the constituency.
Speaking after his victory, Omonade thanked party leaders, supporters and residents of the constituency for their support and confidence in his leadership.
He assured constituents that he would continue to provide effective representation and champion grassroots-oriented policies and programmes aimed at bringing development to Ughelli North Constituency I.
He also reaffirmed his commitment to the APC and expressed optimism that the party would emerge victorious in the forthcoming general elections.
