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Tag: Omo-Agege

  • Tinubu wants visible NDDC projects, Omo-Agege tells chairman nominee

    Tinubu wants visible NDDC projects, Omo-Agege tells chairman nominee

    Former Deputy President of the Senate and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has charged  the chairman-nominee of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Chiedu Ebie, to  embark on visible projects.

     Omo-Agege said such are the works President Bola Tinubu would like to see, adding that  the narrative and perception of the NDDC must change to that of an agency that truly meets the needs of the Niger Delta region.

    He spoke when Ebie and Rt. Hon. Monday Igbuya, one-time Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, paid him a ‘thank you’ visit Friday, in Abuja, a statement by his media adviser, Sunny Areh, disclosed.

    Read Also: Tribunal set to deliver judgment in Omo-Agege’s petition

    Omo-Agege said President Tinubu had head hunted the men that could change the trajectory of the agency.

    “NDDC has had a chequered history dominated more by tales of failed and uncompleted projects as well as the general perception that it has been unable to optimally meet the expectations of the Niger Delta people. Now, that story and perception must change and I am confident it will change for the better with the two of you there,” Omo-Agege said.

    Stating that President Tinubu wants a change in the performance of the commission, he asserted “the president wants you to execute visible projects that will add value to the lives of the people of the Niger Delta. Your track records as a Commissioner and Secretary to the State Government speak for themselves.

    “Please bring your digital brain to change the way projects are initiated and executed and work as a team to achieve results. You are deserving of this because you are an innovative gentleman and you worked. I can confirm that you worked,” the Senate Deputy President stated, apparently referring to Ebie’s role during the last election.

    On August 29, President Tinubu announced the nomination of Ebie as chairman of the NDDC board with Dr. Samuel Ogbuku from Bayelsa State as the new Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer. Igbuya was named as Delta State’s representative on the board.

  • Tribunal set to deliver judgment in Omo-Agege’s petition

    Tribunal set to deliver judgment in Omo-Agege’s petition

    Delta State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Asaba, yesterday reserved judgment in the petition filed by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    He is challenging the declaration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori as winner of the March 18, 2023 governorship election.

    Read Also: Two dead, 37 rescued in Abuja building collapse

    Tribunal Chairman, Justice C. O. Ahuchaogu, reserved judgment after all parties had adopted their final written addresses.

    Ahuchaogu said the date for the judgment would be communicated to the parties and their lawyers.

    Joined in the petition are the Independent National Electoral Commission (1st Respondent), Oborevwori (2nd Respondent) and People’s Democratic Party (3rd Respondent).

  • Omo-Agege: why oil firms’ headquarters must be in Niger Delta

    Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege has restated the need for oil companies operating in the Niger Delta region to relocate their headquarters to their areas of operation in the region.

    Omo-Agege stated this on Sunday when he addressed reporters during his visit to his country home at Orogun in Ughelli North Local Area of Delta State.

    The Deputy Senate President stressed that oil companies that left in the wake of the crisis in the region about a decade ago should also come back in view of prevailing peace and accelerating development of the region.

    Vice-President Prof Yemi Osinbajo had made a similar call about three years ago when he visited the Niger Delta region.

    A statement by his Special Adviser (SA) Media and Publicity, Yomi Odunuga, said the senator reiterated his condemnation of an alleged plot to move the headquarters of the Nigerian Gas Company Limited in Ekpan-Warri to Abuja.

    He noted that the relocation of the headquarters of multinational oil companies to the Niger Delta region would speed up the development of the area, create jobs for youths and reinforce the atmosphere of peace in the region.

    Read Also: Buhari greets Deputy Senate President, Omo-Agege, at 56

    Omo-Agege said: “I’m sure the message has been sent that they cannot move; they must remain. And for those who have left, they must give a serious thought to relocating back to the Niger Delta.

    “What I’m saying now is not really news; even the Vice-President, not too long ago, I believe, enjoined all those companies that left the Niger Delta to relocate back. So, what I’m saying now is just following suit.”

    Also, Ovie Omo-Agege said the just-concluded screening of the 43 ministerial nominees sent to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari was to ensure that they complied with the minimum constitutional requirements to become cabinet members.

    The senator said the former had passed through the crucible of security screening before their names were sent to the Senate, in line with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

    He said: “President Muhammadu Buhari, having contested and won the election, is entitled to work with whoever he wants. Our job in the Senate is not really to examine the nominees but just to ensure they meet the barest minimum qualifications, as required by the Constitution.

    “We all know what it is: for you to be a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, you must have the minimum qualifications. With the membership of the House of Representatives and following the provision of the fourth alteration we made in the Constitution, it has reduced the age qualification to contest for the House of Representatives…”

  • I Go Dye congratulates Omo-Agege

    Comedian Francis Agoda, aka I Go Dye, has congratulated the newly elected Deputy Senate President for the 9th National Assembly, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, urging him to use his position to see to the reopening of seaports as a way of boosting employment and curbing youth restiveness across Nigeria.

    According to the Warri-born humour merchant, “ It’s another step further into our democratic process with the inauguration of 9th Assembly. The emergence of the major house leaders have set the ball rolling. Obviously,  one interesting  outcome is the election of  one of Delta State’s representative in the person of  Hon Bar .Omo-Agege as the Deputy Senate President. I feel this will grant the Honourable Deputy Senate President an opportunity to reflect on my prior acknowledgment of the proceedings, when I wrote to you for God to grant you the honour of becoming the next Senate President, so that you could work in the path of nobility and accord a friendly disposition to the governor of Delta State. The level of development which is desired in Delta State, honestly requires the collective responsibility and support of every one. We cannot achieve the goal of development without  a cooperation of oneness and  above  partisan affiliations.

    “Today you have been elected as the Deputy Senate President, I want you to understand that  the unforeseen  revelations of yesterday have manifested timely. This opportunity granted you as I stated before to use this opportunity to advance the reopening of the seaports across Nigeria ,which has been neglected and have suffered several setbacks in the past. We cannot have minister of transport and a Deputy Senate President  and our seaports are not working . There cannot be a better moment  to work out a framework that will  bring sustainable development through the seaports to curb youths restiveness and unemployment across Nigeria.”

  • Urhobo back Omo-Agege for Deputy Senate President

    The Urhobo in Delta Central Senatorial District yesterday President Muhammadu Buhari to support the senator representing district in the National Assembly, Ovie Omo-Agege, for the Deputy Senate President seat in the Ninth Senate.

    They said this would avert what they called the repeat of the leadership tussle that rocked the Eighth Senate.

    Members and executives of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta Central spoke at the end of a solidarity support meeting for Omo-Agege at Petroleum Training Institute Conference Hall at Effurun, Delta State.

    A communique by APC Delta Central Chairman, Olorogun Adelabu Bodjor, said: “The seat (Deputy Senate President) is for the Urhobo nation and Omo-Agege has done much to deserve it.”

    A former member of the House of Representatives Halims Agoda said: “On behalf of the entire Urhobo nation, we are asking President Buhari to adopt Omo-Agege as the Deputy Senate President for the Ninth Senate.”

  • Dep Senate President: Delta, Edo APC in Diaspora endorse Omo-Agege

    As the 9th Senate Assembly moves towards electing new officers to pilot the affairs of the Red Chamber, members of the All Progressive Congress in Delta, Edo in Diaspora have endorsed Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege for the position of the Deputy Senate President.

    They have also appealed to the leadership of the party to do the needful and present Barr. Ovie Omo-Agege as consensus candidate for the Deputy Senate President since the party has, in its wisdom, zoned the position to South-south region.

    In a statement by the Delta, Edo states Coordinators, APC in Diaspora, Princely Ovakpo, representing Urhobo, Anioma, ljaws, and others and Nosa Obaobowha, representing the Binis, Ishan, Akoko-Edo, Ugbogi and others, said supporting Omo-Agege will enhance robust relationship between the legislature and the executive.

    They said, “APC should look beyond the ordinary and allow a fearless and articulated lawmaker who knows the workings of the legislative business and won’t concede to opposition be given a responsibility such as the Deputy Senate President and not someone who can’t defend his party.

    “So, we are calling on Mr. President and the party leadership to grant their request by ensuring Omo-Agege is given the opportunity to serve as the Deputy Senate President for a peaceful and sustainable leadership. This is our request after the victory of our leader, President Buhari.

    “Omo-Agege has been tested and confirmed as one of the loyalists of the President-Elect, so nominating such a person to work with the Senate President, the president can go and sleep with his two eyes closed considering how he has fought severally to defend the pre-election electoral law.

    “We have no doubt that if he is given the privilege to serve, he will build a bridge between the legislature and the executive with a robust relationship that will bring in rapid development across the country, hence there is this call on the party leadership to give him the room to serve.

    “We quite know that making him the Deputy Senate President, militancy will be a thing of the past; having a Niger-Deltan, Omo-Agege there will ensure their activities are brought to the barest minimum since the Deputy Senate President is one of their own,” they said.

     

  • Alleged mace theft: Omo-Agege abusing judicial, legislative processes, says Misau

    The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Navy, Isah Hamma Misau, yesterday accused his colleague from Delta Central, Ovie Omo-Agege, of abusing the judicial process and the generosity of Senate leadership.

    Misau claimed that some of Omo-Agege’s actions were aimed at bringing down the Senate.

    The Bauchi Central senator was reacting to the court injunction which Omo-Agege obtained yesterday from a High Court in Bwari, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The injunction restrains the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives from considering the report of an ad hoc committee set up by both chambers to investigate the invasion of the Senate by some hoodlums who took away the mace, the symbol of authority of the parliament.

    In a statement in Abuja, Misau said: “The court cannot stop the legislature from the performance of its constitutional duties. Some hoodlums attacked the Senate chamber on live television during plenary and inflicted injury on workers on April 18, 2018.

    “The leadership set up an ad hoc committee to investigate what happened and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence. Months after the committee had submitted its report, a senator rushed to court when he heard that there was a push for the report to be considered before the life of the present Senate expires. He wants to prevent the report of the committee from being considered.

    “In fact, his action has shown the reason the Senate should actually consider the report and act on it, no matter the odds.

    “Omo-Agege has dared the Senate. Now, he should face the music. I blame the Senate President Bukola Saraki for delaying the consideration of the report.

    “The Eighth Senate is winding down and the general view of members is that before we leave, all outstanding reports should be considered and acted upon.

    “If Omo-Agege does not have any hidden agenda, why is he seeking to stop the consideration of the report? After all, he was given fair hearing to state his own case before the panel.

    “He is probably running helter-skelter now because he wants to become Deputy Senate President and he knows that if we adopt the recommendation of the committee, the outcome will affect his ambition. This is the reason people should always consider the future implications of their actions.”

    But Omo-Agege described Misau’s statement as misplaced.

    He said: “This is the hand of Esau and the voice of Jacob. It is cowardly for Saraki to have Senator Misau sign his (Saraki’s) press release. Saraki needs to brush up on his knowledge of the constitution and the law.

    “Nowhere in the Constitution is he granted the right to investigate crimes. He should be counselled that the ancillary powers derivable from Section 88 of the 1999 Constitution must be exercised in furtherance of law-making and not witch-hunting. Only the Nigeria police have the powers to investigate crimes.

    “Omo-Agege has not dared the Senate and would never do so. He has instead dared Saraki to continue with his impunity and bigotry at his own peril.

    “The Kwara electorate has had enough of Saraki’s impunity and excesses and so have we. A terminal date has been fixed and in a while the country will heave a sigh of relief.”

  • Court didn’t decide in favour of Omo-Agege – SAN

    To rest the controversies being generated by contradicting interpretations being peddled on ruling given on Tuesday by the Federal High Court in Warri in a suit filed by Olorogun O’tega Emerhor.

    The court, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, had struck out the suit, which sought to disqualify Senator Ovie Omo-Agege as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Delta Central Senatorial election, on grounds of fair hearing.

    Justice Nwite had held that that the persons whom his decision would directly impact, being Senator Omo-Agege and Rev. Francis Waive, were not joined in the action.

    By his decision, the Judge upheld the position of the plaintiffs, who had earlier sought to withdraw the case, based on the Federal High Court, Asaba’s earlier judgment, which had granted all reliefs that were being sought in the Warri case.

    However, various interests had read different meaning suiting their purposes to the ruling on Tuesday evening, with some claiming that the ruling had affirmed the candidacy of Senator Omo-Agege and therefore he was the winner in the matter.

    Interpreting the ruling as offered by the judge, counsel to Olorogun, George Igbokwe (SAN), who spoke during a telephone chat in Warri, said the judge’s decision simply meant that the earlier judgment by the Federal High Court in Asaba, which decided the matter of the authenticity of the executive councils of the party in the state, had overtaken the need for the reliefs being sought in Warri.

    Read Also: Buhari not against card reader – Omo Agege

    “The Federal High Court Warri stated clearly that the issue of nomination of who is APC’s candidate for Delta Central Senatorial District has been decided by his learned brother in Asaba. He said in as much as we are claiming the same thing here and did not join Ovie Omo-Agege, the suit here was struck out. That just all he said.

    “The implication is that the judgment of Federal High Court Asaba, stands, which says that Omo-Agege and his people from their own faction, are no longer the candidates of the APC. That’s the simple interpretation, any other persons giving you any other interpretation is trying to suit his purpose. I was in court, I heard the whole rulings, all the rulings went against them”, he said.

  • Appeal Court has not voided my election, says Omo-Agege

    Senator representing Delta Central, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has dismissed insinuations that the Court of Appeal has voided his election and that of all candidates of the All Progressives Congress in the just concluded general elections, saying the court was yet to determine the appeal against the judgement of the Federal High Court in Asaba. Omo-Agege said Friday’s ruling of the Appeal Court merely states that only the APC can appeal the judgement of the lower and not individual candidates.

    The statement by his mead aide said Senator Omo-Agege had applied to the court to be joined in the appeal, a position which was rejected by the court in it’s ruling on Friday. The statement reads: “Following the  judgement delivered by Justice Toyin Adegoke of the Federal High Court, Asaba on the 18th of March,  2019 which was being misinterpreted in some quarters to have nullified the Delta State Executive Committee led by our able chairman, Prophet Jones Ode Erue and the candidacy of Chief Great Ovedje Ogboru, Distinguished Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and other candidates of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Delta State, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and Rev. Francis Waive filed an application seeking the leave of Court to join as parties to the Appeal, on behalf of themselves and other candidates of the APC, against the judgement of the Federal High Court sitting in Asaba.

    “It is instructive to note that the ruling delivered by the Court of Appeal today only struck out the application on the ground that Senator Omo-Agege and Rev. Waive cannot appeal the judgement as individuals since they are both members of APC who can appeal the judgement on their behalf. The APC has already filed an appeal against the said judgement. Furthermore, it is important to note that today’s ruling delivered by the Court of Appeal sitting in Benin has not and did not determine the appeal filed before it by the APC.

    “We reiterate that the Consent Judgement delivered by Justice A.I. Chikere of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja is still valid and subsisting and all the recent happenings in court have neither invalidated nor set aside the Consent Judgement. Therefore, the Prophet Jones Ode Erue led Exco remains the authentic and legitimate APC Executive Committee of Delta State, so also are all the candidates of APC in the just concluded 2019 general elections.”

    “It is important to note further that the recent judgement delivered by Justice U. A. Ogakwu of the Court of Appeal sitting in Calabar made it succinctly clear in the case of Sir John Ochala & 5 ORS. VS. Hon. Godwin Etim John and 2 ORS that ” It is settled law that a court cannot make a finding that will prejudicial against a person that is neither before it nor a party to the case and cannot in the same vain grant a relief which will affect a person who is not a party in the suit: OKONKWO vs. OKAGBUE (1994) 9 NWLR (PT 368) 301. The effect of Order(s) made against persons not joined as a party is that such order is a nullity and of no effect”. The status of all the candidates of the APC in Delta State for the 2019 general election remains valid and legitimate.”

     

  • Breaking: Appeal Court dismisses Omo-Agege’s appeal on annullment

    The Court of Appeal sitting in Benin, the Edo State Capital, has dismissed an exparte motion filled by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege seeking a leave of court to appeal the Federal High Court Judgement which sacked the Prophet Jones Erue-led faction of the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    It also dismissed a suit filed by the House of Representatives-elect, Rev Francis Ejiroghene Waive.

    Justice Philomena Mbua Ekpe in her ruling dismissed both applications for lacking in merit and fined them N300,000 each.

    Read Also; Appeal Court orders retrial of NIMASA, NLNG levies case

    The court held that the plaintiffs could not claim to be unaware of the case thus could not seek to be joined or challenged the judgement, at this moment.

    Omo-Agage and Waive, whose candidacy had earlier be annulled by the Federal High Court, Asaba have to wait for the party at the National level who are party to the case to appeal the judgement.