Delta APC crisis: Emerhor urges Ogboru to seek peace if he wants to win

THE leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, has called on Chief Great Ogboru, to seek peace and reconciliation in the party if he’s interested in emerging governor in 2019.

Emerhor gave the advice weekend while reacting to a disparaging statement credited to Chief Ogboru in a publication.

Ogboru had, in the report, justified why him, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and their splinter group, shunned the reconciliatory meeting called by the Minister for State, Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu recently.

According to the report, Ogboru, the four-time governorship candidate of different parties since 2003, said it was “illogical for him to sit down with those that embarrassed the party by attacking delegates at the APC national convention” and that Chief Emerhor should be sanctioned.

Chief Emerhor described the statement credited to Ogboru as shocking much more from a governorship aspirant who wants to win the election and yet not desirous of ensuring that peace returns to the party in the state.

He said inasmuch as he would wish him success in the primary, Ogboru must show remorse and climb down from his horse to dialogue with him (Emerhor) and other leaders in the state to iron out their differences.

“I am shocked that someone who wants to run for the governorship and who purports to want APC to win, will express such unhelpful sentiments,” he retorted.

Emerhor added that though there might be issues between the mainstream of the APC and the group led by Ogboru/Agege in Delta APC, it was clear that the issues arose from the different interests of aspirants like Chief Ogboru who are trying to position themselves ahead of 2019.

Chief Ogboru in particular, the business mogul alleged, has decided to sponsor a faction from the very day he joined the party and has refused to dissolve into the mainstream.

The APC leader further stated that Ogboru and Omo-Agege should be held responsible for the fisticuffs and disruption at the party’s national convention in Abuja.

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“It was Senator Omo-Agege that, in defiance of the erstwhile NWC of the party, replaced the approved/authentic Delta delegates with unknown persons and unleashed the attacks on the authentic delegates when they eventually arrived to take their place at the Delta pavilion at the convention.

“It is Senator Omo-Agege who, as secretary to the convention accreditation committee, abused his position and substituted the Delta State delegates with unknown persons.

“It is unthinkable that Chief Ogboru, instead of thinking of unity, is, at this time, still preaching a continuation of disunity and playing the blame card.

“The party must move beyond fights and crisis and that is why I have decided along with other mainstream leaders of the party to support the reconciliatory move by Dr Ibe Kachikwu who has taken it upon himself to ensure that peace returns to the party.

“Our resolved to win 2019 governorship election in Delta State is bigger than any individual’s interest, and that is why I will want the party’s NWC, the Minister and other leaders of the party to ensure that we are stronger to win the 2019 election,” Chief Emerhor noted.

He appealed to Chief Ogboru to key into the reconciliation process if truly he wants the APC to win the 2019 elections in Delta State.