Former Deputy President of the Senate and Delta State All Progressives Congress (APC) leader, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has expressed deep concern over what he described as the growing wave of political violence in Delta State, warning that recent attacks on political actors could threaten the credibility of the 2027 general elections.
Key Highlights:
- Omo-Agege condemned the violent attack on an APC meeting in Delta.
- He warned that rising political violence could threaten the 2027 elections.
- He called for a full investigation into the PTI meeting attack.
- He urged security agencies to identify and prosecute those responsible.
- He appealed for peaceful politics and rejected political violence.
Omo-Agege’s position was conveyed in a statement issued on his behalf by his Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications, Mr. Godwin Anaughe, following the violent disruption of an APC Delta Central leaders and stakeholders’ meeting held at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI) Conference Centre, Effurun, on Sunday, July 26.
The meeting descended into chaos after suspected thugs reportedly attacked participants, leaving the Delta State Government’s Senior Special Assistant to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori on Protocol, Hon. Temple Mudi, injured.
Describing the incident as a disgrace to the state’s democratic culture, Omo-Agege condemned the attack, saying it represented “political thuggery, plain and simple.”
“What happened at the PTI Conference Centre in Effurun on Sunday, July 26, should worry every single person in Delta State. During a meeting of APC Delta Central leaders and stakeholders, the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, Hon. Temple Mudi, was attacked with stones, machetes and bottles by thugs we believe were sponsored to be there,” the statement said.
According to the former Deputy Senate President, the violent disruption of a lawful political gathering and the assault on a serving government official in broad daylight reflected an alarming deterioration in the state’s political atmosphere.
“A meeting of leaders from a registered political party was violently broken up, and a serving government official was assaulted with dangerous weapons in broad daylight. That this could happen at all says something deeply troubling about where Delta State’s politics is headed,” he stated.
Omo-Agege argued that the PTI incident was not an isolated occurrence but part of what he described as an emerging pattern of political violence ahead of the 2027 elections.
He referenced an earlier attack on the governorship candidate of the New Democratic Congress (NDC), Deacon Chris Iyovwaye, in Agholokpe, where the opposition politician was allegedly prevented by hoodlums from accessing his community’s town hall.
The former lawmaker claimed the two incidents pointed to a disturbing trend that, if unchecked, could undermine democratic participation in the state.
“If members of the ruling party are willing to turn on each other with this level of violence, what exactly should the opposition expect once campaigning is in full swing? The attack on Deacon Iyovwaye already gave us the answer.
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“The same impunity that kept a governorship candidate from his own people is now being turned inward on the ruling party’s own members. A party that cannot keep the peace within its own ranks, and that sponsors attacks on opposition candidates in their own communities, has no business asking anyone to trust it with the safety of the electorate in 2027,” the statement added.
Omo-Agege further alleged that there were indications of plans to orchestrate widespread political intimidation before the next general elections.
“We have credible intelligence that the APC is planning a coordinated campaign of violence and intimidation for the 2027 elections, deliberately targeting opposition leaders and strongholds in Delta State to suppress turnout and manipulate the outcome. The two attacks we have already seen are not random. They look very much like a rehearsal for exactly this,” he alleged.
The APC chieftain urged security agencies to investigate both incidents thoroughly, insisting that those responsible, including alleged sponsors, should be identified and prosecuted.
“Neither of these attacks happened by accident. Violence at this scale, against leaders of a major political party and against an opposition governorship candidate, does not happen without money and backing from somewhere. We are calling on security agencies to treat these as connected incidents and follow the money and the orders back to whoever is funding this,” he said.
He specifically called on the Delta State Commissioner of Police, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Inspector-General of Police to launch comprehensive investigations into both the Agholokpe and Effurun attacks to forestall further violence before the 2027 elections.
Omo-Agege also appealed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), civil society organisations and the international community to closely monitor political developments in Delta State, particularly in Delta Central Senatorial District.
“This is an early warning sign, and Delta State, particularly Delta Central, needs closer monitoring in the run-up to the elections if the people’s will is going to mean anything,” he stated.
Reaffirming his commitment to peaceful democratic engagement, Omo-Agege said neither he nor his supporters would be intimidated by acts of violence.
“We will not be intimidated by this or by any act of political violence. Our commitment remains to a peaceful, issue-based contest, and we are calling on everyone with a stake in Delta State’s future to reject violence and stand firmly for the sanctity of the ballot,” the statement concluded.
