The political theatrics that trailed the recently concluded Delta Central APC Senatorial Primaries have taken an astonishing and embarrassing dimension following the contradictory actions of Senator Ovie Omo Agege, who publicly declared himself the winner of the exercise, yet hurriedly filed an appeal before the Senatorial Appeal Committee sitting in Asaba.
This development became even more laughable when the rightful winner of the primaries, Senator Ede Dafinone, was duly announced by officials of the APC sent from Abuja to conduct the elections.
The situation has exposed what many political stakeholders in Delta State now describe as a paradoxical fiasco, a desperate display of political double standards and an unfortunate show of conduct unbecoming of a statesman of Omo-Agege’s standing.
Ordinarily, a candidate who genuinely believes he won a primary election would have no reason to challenge the same process before an appeal panel. Victory and protest cannot logically coexist.
One cannot celebrate triumph in the marketplace while secretly rushing to the courtroom to dispute the same outcome. Such contradictory conduct raises fundamental questions about credibility, sincerity, and political honesty.
The actions taken by Senator Omo-Agege and his camp clearly suggest an internal acknowledgment that the outcome of the primaries did not favour him as loudly as his public relations machinery attempted to portray.
If indeed he decisively won the primaries, as claimed by his supporters, why the panic appeal? Why the hurried move to Asaba? Why seek redress from an appeal committee over a process he and his camp already declared victorious?
These inconsistencies have further reinforced growing public perception that the former Deputy Senate President and his loyalists were merely engaged in psychological propaganda aimed at confusing party members and distorting public opinion.
In politics, perception matters, but consistency matters even more.
APC faithful across Delta Central are politically sophisticated enough to understand when desperation begins to overshadow strategy. This contradictory conduct displayed after the primaries has unfortunately diminished the moral weight of Omo-Agege’s claims and projected an image of misinformation and propaganda within his camp.
More troubling is the dangerous precedent such behaviour creates within party politics in Nigeria.
Political contests are built on transparency, discipline, and respect for due process. Political leaders are expected to either confidently defend their victory or responsibly challenge perceived irregularities. One cannot attempt both simultaneously in a manner that undermines the credibility of the party’s processes and institutions.
Senator Omo-Agege should withdraw the self-declared victory circulated across the media and tender an apology to the leadership of the All Progressives Congress and its members nationwide.
These shenanigans from the Omo-Agege camp clearly underscore why many stakeholders within Delta Central APC increasingly gravitated toward the calm, issue-based, and development-focused leadership style of Senator Dafinone during the primaries.
While supporters of Omo-Agege engaged in media theatrics and conflicting narratives, Senator Dafinone’s team remained focused on legislative performance, constituency projects, accessibility, and grassroots engagement.
The unfolding contradiction from the Omo-Agege camp is not merely a political miscalculation; it is an avoidable public embarrassment that has weakened the integrity of their post-election narrative.
A true winner does not appeal against his own victory.
The people of Delta Central deserve politics anchored on maturity, coherence, truthfulness, and democratic responsibility, rather than conflicting declarations that reduce a serious electoral process into a theatre of confusion and ridicule.
History may remember this episode as one of the most ironic moments in Delta Central politics — a situation where a candidate loudly proclaimed victory with one hand while quietly filing complaints with the other.
At best, this can only be described as conduct unbecoming of a once towering political figure in national politics. Indeed, desperate times often prompt desperate measures.
Dr. N.M. Darigho Odedede is a development communicator who writes from Abraka, Ethiope East LGA, Delta State.
