Politics
Ndoma-Egba’s Comment On PDP Guber Candidate Irks Chieftain
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State, Ambassador Ojong Agbor, has described comments by Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, against the governorship aspiration of the PDP candidate in the State, Senator Prof. Sandy Onor, as uncharitable, self-serving and unreasonable.
Agbor said it was funny that the same Senator Ndoma-Egba, who had wanted to remain in the Senate after spending three terms, was the one sermonising about justice and equity, adding that rather than seeking to score cheap political point, he (Ndoma-Egba) ought to “concern himself more with the mission of redeeming his battered political timeline.”
Ndoma-Egba had said; “I served the Central Senatorial District for 12 years as a Senator and I was focused, but some people have not even finished their first term in the Senate where we sent them, they want to be Governor. We in the Central Senatorial District believe in justice and fairness. We are not greedy people.”
Responding to the statement by Ndoma-Egba, apparently targeted at the PDP Candidate, Ambassador Agbor, asked; “Where was justice and fairness, when Victor Ndoma-Egba supported a Central candidate for Governor in 2019? Where was justice and fairness when Victor Ndoma-Egba attempted going back to the Senate in 2019, instead of giving way for the younger generation? Where was fairness and justice when Victor Ndoma-Egba, for the 12 years in the Senate, even as the Senate Leader and later Chairman of NDDC threw mentorship overboard by refusing to consider any young person fit for him to groom to run for the National Secretary that he lobbied for?”
The statement titled; ‘Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba and the Burden of Selective Amnesia’, reads “Let me reiterate that the Caterpillar Movement is determined to run an issue-based campaign, but in doing so, we are not oblivious of the many antics and shenanigans of those who are obviously terrified by the towering acceptability and goodwill that our Principal, Distinguished Senator Prof. Sandy Ojang Onor and the People’s Democratic Party are enjoying among Cross Riverians.
“Therefore, while we are devoted to pursuing a campaign devoid of mudslinging and bickering, we would not fail to tackle heads-on, any attempt by anybody to cast unnecessary aspersions on our Principal and the People’s Democratic Party, no matter how highly placed.
“In view of the above, we condemn in strong terms the vitriolic and scathing comments made by Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, who but for the purpose of scoring cheap political point, ought to concern himself more with the mission of redeeming his battered political timeline”.
“For emphasis, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba had during one of their many poorly attended APC tours, attempted to cast aspersions on the personality of Distinguished Senator Prof Sandy Ojang Onor, by speaking disparagingly about the gubernatorial aspiration of our Principal.
”The comment from Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba can best be described as a manifestation of selective amnesia. It is on record that Victor Ndoma-Egba, out of greed had a strangulating grip on the Senatorial seat of Central for 12 years and greedily wanted a 4th term, but for the divine intervention of Stakeholders from Central Senatorial District that overwhelmingly rejected him and replaced him with a younger Senator John Owan-Enoh. Despite the humiliation and defeat, Victor Ndoma-Egba refused to see the hand writing on the wall. He refused to accept the fact that the glory has finally departed from him and the people were tired of his self-centeredness and greed. Yet again, he went on bended knees and begged for a federal appointment and was appointed Chairman of NDDC out of sheer pity. Not satisfied, he tried for the 5th time to go to the senate and got the rudest shock of his life. He ran against Senator Prof Sandy Ojang Onor and was roundly defeated. In fact, he lost in 60 out of the 66 wards in the Senatorial District.
“In his characteristic manner, Victor Ndoma-Egba had in the just concluded APC National Convention lobbied for the position of a National Secretary, until Betta Edu through the intervention of Governor Ben Ayade took the carpet off his feet. For a man like Victor Ndoma-Egba who wanted to remain forever in the Senate, it smacks of arrogance and outright insult on the sensibility of Cross Riverians for him to speak about justice and fairness.
“Where was justice and fairness, when Victor Ndoma-Egba supported a central Candidate for Governor in 2019? Where was justice and fairness when Victor Ndoma-Egba greedily attempted going back to the Senate in 2019, instead of giving way for the younger generation? Where was fairness and justice when Victor Ndoma-Egba, for the 12 years in the Senate, even as the Senate Leader and later Chairman of NDDC threw mentorship overboard by refusing to consider any young person fit for him to groom to run for the National Secretary that he lobbied for?
“It is apparently laughable for Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba who was mercilessly defeated by our Principal, to use the word “WE” in referring to our Central Senatorial Constituents that voted for Senator Sandy Onor . He is obviously not part of those that sent our Principal to the Senate, hence he lacks the moral standing to use the word “We sent him.
“As an Elder Statesman, we would do him the honor of applying restraint but should he continue in the ignoble path of casting aspersions on our Principal, we would be forced to travel down memory lane and remind him of his many sins against the people of Cross River State. We urge him to remember that those who live in a glass house, ought not throw Stones.”
Governor Douye Diri has set a target of at least one million votes for President Bola Tinubu in Bayelsa State in the 2027 presidential election, while charging the newly inaugurated All Progressives Congress (APC) State Campaign Council to prioritise reconciliation, party unity and collective electoral mobilisation.
Governor Diri gave the charge at the inauguration of the 20-member campaign council at the APC secretariat in Yenagoa, where he warned that internal divisions could undermine the party’s efforts to secure victory for President Tinubu and other candidates at the federal and state levels.
Governor Diri urged party members who were not appointed to the council to support its activities by taking the APC’s message to communities, wards and polling units across the state.
He specifically charged the campaign team to mobilise at least one million votes for President Tinubu, arguing that Bayelsa’s voting strength had increased and should be reflected in the 2027 election results.
“I give you a target that in Bayelsa, we must not bring less than one million votes for Mr President. You are going to campaign, and you have a lot to talk about the President. He has done so much for our people,” the governor said.
He listed the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the second phase of the Nembe-Brass Road, interventions in the power sector, federal appointments for Bayelsa indigenes and the establishment of the Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy among the achievements the campaign should present to voters.
The governor particularly praised President Tinubu for the coastal highway project, arguing that it reflected federal attention to the development needs of coastal communities.
“No president, alive or dead, has remembered the coastal people and coastal states to say let us do this signature project from Lagos to Calabar. The first president to think about it is Bola Tinubu, and those were the demands of the Ijaw people,” he said.
Governor Diri also expressed hope that a second term for President Tinubu would provide an opportunity to advance demands for fiscal federalism, greater resource control and state policing, which he described as longstanding aspirations of the Niger Delta.
He said the President had shown indications of addressing some of the demands of younger Nigerians and argued that re-election would allow the administration to consolidate its reforms.
The governor further cautioned campaigners against personal attacks and abusive exchanges with political opponents, insisting that the APC should focus its campaign on issues, policies and achievements.
The governor’s mobilisation directive comes amid criticism from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which has questioned his commitment to President Tinubu’s re-election campaign, alleging that APC campaign billboards erected across Yenagoa promote other party candidates without featuring the President.
The PDP, through its Publicity Secretary, Mr Ikaebimo Mark, said the billboards showed Governor Diri urging voters to support APC candidates for the National Assembly and State House of Assembly elections without identifying President Tinubu as the party’s presidential candidate.
Mr Mark described the omission as an indication that the governor was not fully aligned with the APC’s national leadership.
“When we said that the governor, Senator Douye Diri, is not supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we knew exactly what we were saying. Now Governor Douye Diri has erected APC campaign billboards across Bayelsa State without Tinubu’s picture. He is even afraid to associate himself with the photograph of the presidential candidate of his own party. How can this governor claim to be supporting President Tinubu?” he said.
The PDP, however, maintained that the governor’s public campaign posture raised questions about his commitment to the President’s re-election bid. Its allegation over the billboards now places the issue of the relationship between the state APC leadership and the party’s national campaign among the political questions likely to feature in Bayelsa’s preparations for 2027.
The PDP’s allegation has introduced a fresh political dimension to the APC’s preparations in Bayelsa, even as Governor Diri publicly called on party leaders and members to close ranks and mobilise support for all its candidates.
“Every person picked as a member of this campaign council was carefully scrutinised. I want to tell you that our campaign team is loaded. We parade the best candidates among all the parties in Bayelsa State, and there is no doubt about that,” he said.
He urged members to remain focused and united, warning that political opponents could exploit any divisions within the party.
“Our unity is very important because they would want to feast on our disunity. We will not give them that opportunity. Please, as you carry out this assignment, do not take your eyes off the target,” Hon. Ogoriba said.
SP Edafe explained that during the meeting, the organisers were briefed on the identified security threats and advised against embarking on an open-road procession.
Instead, the police reportedly recommended that the political activities be conducted at a designated venue where adequate security arrangements could be provided.
However, the Command alleged that the organisers disregarded the security advice and proceeded with the road procession.
Meanwhile, the Delta State Government has condemned the political violence that erupted in Asaba, the state capital, on Saturday, confirming that one person was killed while four others sustained serious injuries.
The government described the incident as unfortunate and unacceptable, warning political parties and their supporters against actions capable of threatening public peace, security and democratic participation in the state.
In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, the government reiterated its zero tolerance for political violence, intimidation and other forms of political misconduct.
Mr Aniagwu said the government had repeatedly cautioned political parties against engaging in activities capable of disrupting the peace, insisting that the incident could have been avoided if the organisers had followed security advice.
According to him, the police had advised the organisers to cancel the proposed street march and instead conduct their political campaign at a designated venue where adequate security arrangements could be provided.
He expressed concern that the advice was allegedly disregarded, resulting in a confrontation that claimed one life and left four other people seriously injured.
The government subsequently called on the police to conduct a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the violence and ensure that anyone found culpable is brought to justice.
Mr Aniagwu further warned that the state government would not tolerate politically motivated attacks against any individual, regardless of political affiliation.
He maintained that Delta State remained safe for residents and visitors, stressing that the government would not allow the actions of individuals or groups to undermine the prevailing peace and security in the state.
The government also urged political parties, their leaders and supporters to conduct their political activities within the confines of the law and demonstrate respect for human life, public order and the rights of other citizens.
The latest development follows an attack on supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) during a political procession in Asaba, which reportedly left several participants injured and campaign vehicles vandalised.
The government’s condemnation comes amid growing concerns over political violence and the safety of opposition supporters as political activities intensify ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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