By Ovie Okpare
Chief Great Ogboru, 2019 governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and some leaders of the party, have concluded plans to dump the APC, NIGER DELTA TODAY can authoritatively report.
Credible sources who confided in NIGER DELTA TODAY said Ogboru and his supporters will be moving to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) soon.
It was gathered that the planned defection is as a result of the fallouts from the Delta congress of the APC and the recently concluded National Convention of the party in Abuja where his camp lost to Senator Ovie Omo-Agege’s side.
The sources hinted that Ogboru, who is spearheading the defection plans, will contest the 2023 governorship election in Delta State under the NNPP platform.
One of the sources who claimed to be part of the discussions said Ogboru and some aggrieved leaders of the party had met severally with the national leadership of NNPP.
It was further learnt that Ogboru had also met with former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, who is likely to fly the presidential flag of NNPP in the forthcoming election on how they can collaborate.
Some of the leaders contacted on the development confirmed the planned defection but said discussions were still ongoing with the national leadership of the party.
But a key figure in the arrangement however disclosed that the planned defection “remains tentative” pending ongoing discussions with APC leadership over reconciliation and ceding of some State Executive positions to Ogboru’s camp.
The source also clarified that the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Olorogun Festus Keyamo and former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Engr. Victor Ochei, who also belonged to the Ogboru camp are not part of the planned defection.
The sources further disclosed that Ogboru has directed his supporters to return to their units and wards to form NNPP structures across the state.
Recall that Ogboru’s camp of the APC lost to the Senator Omo-Agege’s men during last year’s congress of the party which produced Chief Omeni Sobotie and Pastor Silas Buowe parallel chairmen.
Sobotie, a Special Adviser on Political Affairs to Omo-Agege, Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, is recognized and sworn-in by the national leadership of the APC as Delta State chairman.
Similarly, Ogboru’s camp also lost the National Publicity Secretary position to the Senator Omo-Agege’s preferred candidate, Mr. Felix Morka Esq., who defeated Pastor Silas Buowe Esq. at the National Convention of the APC in Abuja.
With the outcome of the congresses, Omo-Agege, who is being rumoured to contest the 2023 governorship election in Delta State, now has full control of the party structures and will defeat any other contender.
“Ogboru and Keyamo were not even given the chance to produce any executive member of Delta APC. It was the reason we had our factional congresses which produced Buowe but the national leadership of the party recognised Sobotie who is Omo-Agege’s appointee as chairman.
“The entire party structure has been pocketed by Senator Omo-Agege. Omo-Agege can’t win 2023 election with the current party structure in Delta. We’re 90 percent out of APC. Once Ogboru returns to the state we’ll set the ball rolling.
“I can assure you that Ogboru will contest the 2023 governorship election. Although discussions are still ongoing, we have reached 90% plus with our discussion. We are leaving with more than half of APC supporters”, one of the sources claimed.
But Ogboru who had earlier spoken with NIGER DELTA TODAY claimed that he was still in APC.
He had told this medium that, “It’s rumour. I’m still in APC. If I am leaving APC, I will make it public. I’m still an authentic APC member. Just forget the rumour.”
However, further investigations by this medium authoritatively confirmed that Ogboru has concluded plans to leave the party for NNPP.
You don’t expect anyone to be in a party where he will not carry along so therefore it will be better he joins where he will be recognize.