Urhobo won’t allow any group, its financiers destroy Sen. Omo-Agege — Hon. Agoda

TRACKING>Hon. John Halims Agoda, one of the highly respected legislators of the Urhobo extraction, has represented Ethiope Federal Constituency at the Green Chambers, and also House of Reps candidate in the 2019 general elections under the All Progressives Congress, APC. In this interview he speaks on the lingering issue of crime alleged to have been committed by Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, in which a a civil society organisation gave him a 72-hour ultimatum to resign.Excerpts:

There has been series of attacks and counter allegations against the Deputy President of the Senate, Obaisi (Barr) Ovie Omo-Agege by a civil society group, what is your take on this?

What is playing out now is mendacity of mischief against the Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege and it has always been the misbegotten norm in Nigeria that each time a new generation throws up a key actor in the nation’s political matrix, there is often a surprising stampede among professional hustlers and spoilers.

The stampede is always borne out of envy, misgiving and the vaunting ambition of the desperate.

As always, their new found past-time is actuated by the craze to pull down those for whom the good fortune of providence has manifested and whose time has clearly come to play their parts in nation’s building.

Were this not the case, it would have been utterly elusive to rationalize the push of some persons who are now masquerading as members of some nebulous civil society organizations seeking the ouster from the Senate of the federal republic, the distinguished Senator Ovie Omo-Agege of Delta Central Senatorial District, who, by the grace of God, is the incumbent dDeputy President of the Senate.

His emergence as the foremost political leader of the moment in Delta State and the South-south has understandably triggered off enormous political dysentery for a few political spoilers and unsettled their foot soldiers.

In their warped and ludicrous claims, the distinguished senator was “convicted” by a court in the United States of America, and that for this reason, he no longer merits being the senator representing Delta central let alone being the Deputy President of the Senate.

They have since began on account of this doubtful and mendacious claim, gone on a media frenzy to put him on trial and convict him in the court of public opinion.

Just suddenly, Senator Omo-Agege needed to be the Deputy President of the Senate for them to be awakened from their stupor to try to bring him down because of an imaginary court conviction. And this Urhobo will not accept.

Why suddenly this issue and where could this be coming from?

That is our surprise as a nation, in almost past three decades that he had held public offices, especially in his home state of Delta, none of these persons or civil society organizations, considered it worthwhile to throw up muds and dirts at this eminent and illustrious son of Urhoboland for just no cause.

This is the ugly face and paradox of this misadventure against our own, Obaisi Ovie Omo-Agege by no other persons but his own people domiciled in Delta State and in other parts of the South-south, too bad for such persons, group or individual to have conceived such evil plans against your own brother.

Could it be possible that all these are coming because of his rising profile, whom some groups or individuals not comfortable with?
Since his assumption of office as a member of the Senate, his performance has been quite sterling. He is not just a statistical number in the Senate; he is indeed a functional member with many motions and bills to his credit at such a short time of his membership.

Those who are at daggers-drawn with him must not discountenance his pedigree and antecedents. As a player now at the national arena, he is not a novice in understanding the fundamentals and the dynamics of the politics and power play of his homeland.
He understands the inviolability and sanctity of the subsisting zonal power rotation among his people and the senatorial districts.
How would you describe the manner the social media is going about the issue?

It is laughable and a mockery of the social and cultural values of Urhoboland and indeed Delta State to learn that this gang-up against Senator Omo-Agege has the trappings of a misguided group in his homeland and one other part of the South-south, thus lending credence to the theory that it’s all about the 2023 gubernatorial contest in Delta State. Therefore no one should be deceived by the antics of these laughable spoilers.

They are bent on erecting every inconceivable encumbrance to stop Senator Omo-Agege in his tracks. They have failed because at the moment and in the foreseeable future he remains the political reference point in the politics of his home state and the South-south.

Even though he has in his modesty not told anyone that he is interested in being the governor of Delta State, those who are always consumed by ambition are already gripped with fright of a possible indication of interest in the race by Omo-Agege.

Clearly, this is a normal human inclination, but to go to the extent to cast the senator in the mould of an “ex-convict” in order to bring him to public disrepute and ridicule is to say the least a naive and grave disservice and a repugnant miscalculation.

Even as they spew their objectionable falsehoods and antics, the senator remains the enigma that he is and continues to sparkle and dazzle his detractors.

These, as his selling points, are unsettling the merchants of mischief. The man, Senator Omo-Agege, has already put up an account of what the issues are, and having done so, and in the absence of any further controvertible claims, it is advisable that the denizens of this world who are after the political career of the distinguished senator should sheathe their battle swords. The oneness of Delta State is sacrosanct and must be respected for the good of all.

So, what is your take on this?

My candid view about this whole scenario is that our people don’t look outside to fight those that are against the growth of Urhobo nation, rather, they concentrate and focus their mirror on their own people who will bring progress to us and these are signs of pulling him down syndrome. Until we realize this and stop it, we will end up not having leaders at the national because of our consistence in-fight for no just course but in ensuring that we bring down our own and allows outsider come in.

It is always wrong to have this concept that if it is not me, it must not be someone else, instead, let us destroy it so that everybody loses and we all are happy about, giving room for an outsider to come and have it and that is where we are happy that thank God, he didn’t not and l did not get, so, how does that benefit us or what have we gain.