Former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, suffered a major setback in his bid to secure the New Democratic Congress (NDC) ticket for the Delta Central Senatorial District after he was defeated by former President of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) North America, Olorogun Dr. Onome Bernice Dema, in a fiercely contested primary election.
Although Omo-Agege recorded impressive victories in
some key local government areas, particularly his strongholds of Ughelli North,
Ughelli South, Udu and Uvwie, it was not enough to stop the Dema wave that
swept through other strategic parts of the district.
The turning point of the election came from Sapele and
Okpe Local Government Areas, where Dema delivered crushing victories that
effectively neutralized Omo-Agege's advantage elsewhere.
In Sapele, Dema secured a staggering 1,352 votes,
leaving Omo-Agege with just four votes. The margin proved decisive and
immediately shifted momentum in favour of the former UPU North America leader.
Dema repeated a similar performance in Okpe, polling
1,650 votes against Omo-Agege's five votes, further widening the gap and
putting the contest beyond the reach of the former Deputy Senate President.
While Omo-Agege dominated Ughelli North with 1,024
votes and led in Ughelli South with 1,160 votes against Dema's 1,146, the
narrow margin in Ughelli South failed to provide the cushion he needed to
withstand Dema's landslide victories in other areas.
In Udu, Omo-Agege polled 900 votes against Dema's 250,
while in Uvwie he secured 400 votes to Dema's 200. However, those victories
were overshadowed by the massive margins recorded by Dema in Sapele and Okpe.
Ethiope West produced one of the closest contests of
the day, with Omo-Agege scoring 360 votes against Dema's 340 votes. Meanwhile,
the result from Ethiope East Local Government Area was cancelled and excluded
from the final tally.
At the end of the exercise, Dema amassed 4,973 votes
to emerge winner of the primary, while Omo-Agege finished second with 3,853
votes. Other aspirants, Akpodiete and Ineneji, polled 92 and 31 votes
respectively.
Political observers noted that Dema's overwhelming
support in Sapele and Okpe ultimately proved decisive, overturning Omo-Agege's
dominance in his traditional bases and paving the way for a surprise but
convincing victory in the race for the NDC Delta Central senatorial ticket.
Final Results
- Onome Bernice Dema – 4,973 votes
- Ovie Omo-Agege – 3,853 votes
- Akpodiete – 92 votes
- Ineneji – 31 votes
With the primary now concluded, Dema will fly the NDC
flag in the upcoming Delta Central Senatorial election, while attention shifts
to how Omo-Agege and his supporters will respond to the unexpected defeat.
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