From Ismail Omipidan, Abuja To Nigerian politicians, politics is like war. Therefore, most of them usually position themselves to benefit from the spoils of political war, especially when they have been part of the struggle leading to the victory, arising from the war. For the former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the defection, formally on Monday, April 28, 2025, of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, may have dethroned him from his exalted position as the rallying point for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state. Long before his defection, strong speculations suggested the governor was eyeing the APC. He denied it. His aides denied it. About two months ago, his commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu while denying his principal’s alleged defection plot, accused the APC of wishful thinking. “Gov. Oborevwori is not only a proud member of the PDP, but remains a leader of PDP both in Delta and in Nigeria. He is also a performing governor, who has been able to show that he can be regarded as the poster governor for the PDP. So, for those who are wishing that he is jumping ship, we want to tell them that Oborevwori is not in the business of jumping. Oborevwori is trying to let Nigerians know that the PDP has the strength to deliver,” Aniagwu said in a statement. Therefore, when two weeks ago, the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Chiedu Ebie, led hundreds of defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC, the likes of Omo-Agege, was said to have heaved a sigh of relief, hoping against hope that he was itching closer towards realising his governorship ambition, having been defeated by the incumbent in 2023. At the defection ceremony held in Agbor, the heart of the Ika nation, the same area that produced the immediate past state governor and PDP’s Presidential running mate in the 2023 presidential election, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, Omo-Agege was emphatic, when he told the governor to stay put in his PDP, and that he was not welcomed in the APC. Similarly, before the rally, Senator Omo-Agege had equally declared during an APC leaders, elders, and stakeholders’ meeting in Ika South and Ika North East Local Government Areas of the state that while every other Delta PDP leader and chieftain are welcomed into the APC, Governor Oborevwori and Okowa are not, adding that “are we even sure PDP will still exist in 2027? Their crisis at the national level is worsening. Our focus should be on winning the next elections and re-electing President Bola Tinubu. We welcome everyone except Oborevwori and Okowa. They should remain in PDP and rebuild their party.” Interestingly, at the recent rally, where the defectors were formally received by the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, and the Senator representing Delta North, Ned Nwoko, among others, Ganduje who described Ebie and his group as soldiers of democracy and a viable platform for APC’s total takeover of Delta State, come 2027, had said “we have the three Senators now. We have members of the House of Representatives and state Assembly members and over 60 per cent of the followers of PDP have now joined the APC. We are sure of taking over this state, come next election. “We are not surprised because of the timber and calibre of politicians you have in Delta State in the APC. What we require now is unity. Unity of purpose and unity to win election so we can provide quality governance to the people of Delta State. “Very soon, we will organise a stakeholders’ meeting for all those major stakeholders because they are all good people. They are all wise people. They are all intelligent people, and they are all democrats. So, all of them will be convened for unity, like the Delta Unity Group.” The words of the APC National Chairman were comforting enough for Omo-Agege, who had thought that having Ebie, who served as Commissioner for Higher Education and the Secretary to Delta State Government (SSG) in Senator Okowa administration on his side, placed him in a good stead to sideline the Aviation minister, Festus Keyamo, who has been battling with him for the control of the party structure in the state. However, rather than call the unity meeting as proposed by the APC National Chairman, Omo-Agege received what could pass for a shocker last week, when the governor and the remaining PDP structure in the state, moved to the APC. At the meeting, where decisions were taken on how to welcome the governor into APC, some of Omo-Agege’s allies, like the NDDC chairman were shut out, giving an indication of what to expect in the days ahead. And by the constitution of the party, the governor is the leader of the party. With the governor as the leader of the party, Okowa, which many had left the PDP for his sake, is back to reckoning as the de facto leader of APC in the state, a development that is likely to precipitate another round of crisis within the Delta APC in the days ahead. But Omo-Agege appears to want to stoop to conquer. In a statement, welcoming the man he had said was not welcomed in the party, the former Deputy Senate President said “the leadership of the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress warmly welcomes His Excellency, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, and all leaders and members of the Peoples Democratic Party into the All Progressives Congress. “This historic move underscores the success of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in driving growth and development in our country.” Allaying the fears of those who had almost emptied the PDP in Delta, before the governor’s defection last week, Omo-Agege further said “in line with outcomes of deliberations with the national leadership of our party, the Progressive Governors Forum and Delta APC stakeholders, I wish to assure all stakeholders that any issues arising from this development are being carefully considered and managed with prudence and foresight, in the best interests of our party and our beloved state. Let us embrace this development with unity, understanding, and a shared commitment to the progress of Delta State and Nigeria.” While appealing to APC members in the state to come out en mass to receive the new entrants, Omo-Agege said “in this renewed spirit of brotherhood in Delta APC, I urge all LGA and ward chairmen, their executives, party members, and our teeming supporters to turn out en masse for the welcome reception of our new members into the APC on Monday, April 28, 2025, in Asaba. As challenges emerge, we must manage them with prudence and foresight,” he added. As things stand, Delta State is already in APC’s kitty. But unless the party leadership at the centre intervenes, it would not take time before fresh crisis brews in the party. Omo-Agege may not defect to the PDP, there is however every likelihood for him to leave the APC if the national leadership of the party does not take care of his political interest, especially now that realising his 2027 governorship ambition on the party’s platform seems dead on arrival with the defection of the governor. Also, former Governor Ibori, is another factor that would determine the future of APC in Delta. Although the daughter, a serving member of the House of Representatives, has formally defected to the APC, the father is yet to join the party officially. But he has been hobnobbing with the APC since after the emergence of President Tinubu in 2023. Ironically, he parted ways with Okowa in 2023. With Okowa’s return to the APC, it is yet to be seen what Ibori’s next move would be, politically. Regardless, the Delta State Governor, was on Monday, April 28, formally received into the APC, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Represented by Vice President Shettima, Tinubu described the defection as a “tsunami of unimaginable proportions.” He praised Governor Oborevwori and former Governor Okowa for their statesmanship and the unity displayed in leading the defection to the APC. “The true measure of a political party lies not merely in the industry, the very name of its members, but in the conviction. It is, in fact, among those who once stood across from them. This vindication is even more fundamental. When those who once saw us as outsiders and opponents crossed the lines of difference to become part of the enduring family we have built. “This historic day, therefore, is both a celebration of the enduring promise of the APC and a tribute to the vision, courage, and foresight of the great giants we have come to welcome into the hall of fame of our political party, along with their devoted followers who are joining us today. “I want to pay special tribute to Senator Ifeanyi Okowa for the wonderful relationship that exists between him and his successor. Senator Okowa, you are indeed a great leader and Governor Oborevwori, for embracing him, for treating him with respect and decorum, you are even a greater leader. We are here with our unshaken belief in the power of collaboration, the understanding that we are stronger together than we can ever be apart. “What sets the APC apart is not an illusion of uniformity; it is our accepting that differences are inevitable and that greatness lies in managing them. Our tables have always been tables of dialogue, places where every member, no matter how big or small, is welcome to air their grievances.Your Excellencies, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and the other great men and women, we welcome you to the APC today. “I bring them the warm assurance of His Excellency President Bola, Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and all members of the APC. Now that you have come, we are all co-owners because according to the constitution of the party, the Governor of the party is the leader of the party in the state, this is now as much as your party as it is ours. You have brought to us a wealth of experience, a breath of wisdom and a measure of strength for which we shall always remain grateful. “This is a declaration that the strength of our great nation is alive, a spirit that brings your ambition, your party alliance and sees the larger set of history. Nigeria is greater than all of us, and what we do here today is a step towards strengthening our promise. We welcome you, Your Excellency, not as defectors but as brothers and sisters who have found your rightful place amongst us. We welcome you not as guests but as family, we welcome you as fellow architects of a better Nigeria and may this day be remembered not just by what it signifies today but for the enduring fraternity and vision of source for tomorrow,” President Tinubu added.