Omo-Agege concedes defeat, congratulates Oborevwori

Senator Ovie Omo-Agege has conceded defeat in the  Delta governorship election and congratulated his rival, Sherrif Oborevwori, after the Supreme Court upheld the latter’s victory on Friday.

In a press release issued on Saturday, Omo-Agege thanked his supporters and party members for their “amazing support and prayers” and urged them to respect the court’s decision and promote peace in the state.

He said he had “responsibly and fully played” his role in defending his belief in the truth and justice of his case, but had to “yield all to posterity” after the apex court’s verdict.

He also expressed his gratitude to his wife, children, family, running mate, campaign team, legal team, and political allies, especially President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and APC national leader Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, for their “genuine commitment and extraordinary support” for his cause.

He praised his running mate, Friday Osanebi, for his “strong character and firm belief in God” and prayed for God’s reward for his faithfulness and loyalty.

He then congratulated Oborevwori, the incumbent governor and candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), for his victory and wished him well as a democrat.

He said “The Supreme Court today disallowed our appeal in respect of the March 18, 2023 Delta State Governorship Election and affirmed the return of Rt. Hon. Sherrif Oberevwori as the duly elected Governor of Delta State. As the final court of the land, all citizens are bound to accept and abide by its decisions even if they do not accord with their personal or collective expectations of justice. So, we ask our people to respect today’s decision and give their best to promote peace everywhere in our beloved Delta State. The unity, peace, and general good of our dear State are bigger and more important than any individual or group interest.

“Having responsibly and fully played our role in principled defence of our fervent belief in the truth, honour and justice of our case and cause as democrats, we must now yield all to posterity, even as we thank God Almighty who gave us the grace to stand in the first place. Here, I must first thank my beloved wife, our dear children and great family for their huge sacrifices in my quest to offer innovative and caring leadership to our people.

“I am particularly immensely grateful to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR for his genuine commitment and extraordinary support for our cause as the leader of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a great stateman. Further, I sincerely thank the National Working Committee (NWC) and indeed the entire national leadership of our party ably led by His Excellency Alhaji (Dr.) Abdullahi Umar Ganduje for their unwavering support. We are equally grateful to the Delta State Executive Committee of the APC under the leadership of Elder Omeni Sobotie for its dedication to duty, godly counsel, and support.

“We are also eternally grateful to our Campaign Organisation which, devotedly led by Elder Godsday Orubebe as Director-General, championed our campaign everywhere in Delta for a better State and country. Our special gratitude similarly extends to members of our legal team led by Mr. Robert Emukpoeruo, SAN for their extraordinary scholarship, industry and commitment to the course of justice. In the same way, we thank all our respected political, religious, community, business, professional, and youth leaders, great friends and indeed all our party members and supporter for all they did to support us. May the good Lord bless you all.

“To my dear and dependable brother and running mate, the Rt. Hon. Friday Osanebi, thank you for your strong character and firm belief in God who gives power as it pleases Him alone. We ran a great race. Hold your head high as a man of honour. I pray the Almighty God rewards your faithfulness and loyalty beyond ordinary human comprehension.

“Now, to my dear brother, His Excellency, Rt. Honourable Sherrif Oborevwori, the Governor of Delta State, accept my congratulations for your victory today. It has been a long-drawn out struggle to offer our people the best in the governance of our State. It is about the collective interest and good of our people, not our personal interest. Having now received the Supreme Court’s seal of approval, I must wish you well as a democrat. May the good Lord guide and abide with you and give you good health, strength and wisdom to govern our State well in Jesus’ name.”

Omo-Agege, a former deputy president of the Senate, had challenged Oborevwori’s victory in the March 18, 2023 governorship election, alleging irregularities and malpractices.

He lost at the tribunal and the appeal court, before taking his case to the Supreme Court, which dismissed his appeal and affirmed Oborevwori’s election on Friday.

Oborevwori, a former speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, was declared the winner of the election by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), having polled 2,784,678 votes to defeat Omo-Agege, who got 2,621,437 votes.