Former Deputy President of the 9th Senate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has denied allegations that he instructed Senator Ede Dafinone to vote against Godswill Akpabio during the 2023 election of the leadership of the 10th Senate.

Omo-Agege described the allegation as a “cheap and mischievous fabrication,” insisting that he supported Akpabio's emergence as Senate President in accordance with the position of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

In a statement dated November 10, 2026, and signed by his Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications, Godwin Anaughe, Omo-Agege said the allegation had persisted for too long without a response from his office.

“Enough is enough,” the statement declared.

It alleged that Dafinone had misrepresented the events surrounding the Senate leadership election to explain his strained relationship with Akpabio.

According to Omo-Agege, President Bola Tinubu met with leaders of the National Assembly and the APC at the Defence House ahead of the June 2023 election, where Akpabio and Senator Barau Jibrin were endorsed as the party's candidates for Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively.

Omo-Agege said he participated in the meeting and subsequently met Dafinone and Senator Joel Onowakpo-Thomas at his Asokoro residence, where he communicated the party's decision.

He claimed both senators agreed to support the APC's position.

However, the statement alleged that Dafinone later attended meetings organised by supporters of Senator Abdul'aziz Abubakar Yari, who also contested the Senate presidency.

Omo-Agege further claimed that Vice-President Kashim Shettima intervened after reports emerged that the two Delta senators were not supporting Akpabio's candidacy.

He said subsequent meetings involving the senators, former Delta APC chairman Elder Omeni Sobotie and former campaign director-general Godsday Orubebe were held at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel.

The statement also disclosed that Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma later met with the two senators, who allegedly renewed their commitment to vote for Akpabio.

Omo-Agege said he received a text message from Onowakpo-Thomas after the election indicating that the party's instructions had been followed.

“Instructions carried out, Akpabio has won,” the message reportedly read.

He said he initially defended the two senators when allegations emerged that they had voted against Akpabio, adding that he only confronted Dafinone after evidence allegedly showed otherwise.

According to the statement, Dafinone admitted voting for Yari during a subsequent confrontation.

“I voted for Yari. On principle, I could not bring myself to vote for Akpabio,” Dafinone reportedly told him.

Omo-Agege maintained that the decision was Dafinone's personal choice and not the result of any instruction from him.

“Omo-Agege did not compel and could never have compelled Dafinone to vote against a party position that he witnessed unopposed,” the statement said.

It added that Omo-Agege later met Akpabio to explain what happened, accompanied by engineer Tuoyo Omatstuli, who allegedly corroborated his account of the meetings preceding the election.

The former Deputy Senate President also said he had since moved on politically and should not be dragged into disputes involving members of his former party.

He challenged Dafinone to publicly address the allegations and explain his reported decision to vote for Yari.

“If any of this is a lie, let Dafinone come out himself and say so,” the statement added.

It further challenged the Delta senator to state publicly that he voted for Yari because Omo-Agege instructed him to do so.

Omo-Agege denies directing Dafinone to vote against Akpabio in 2023 Senate election

Human rights activist Maduabuchi Idam has said the promise by the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, to deliver Ebonyi State to President Bola Tinubu in 2027 is a political ruse.

Idam likened Umahi's promise to an empty barrel of a gun making noise without shooting.

In a statement he signed, the constitutional lawyer said Umahi and the state governor, Francis Nwifuru, should provide functional healthcare facilities and electricity across the state before making such promises.

According to Idam: "The promise of delivering Ebonyi State to President Tinubu is a political ruse, almost like an empty-barrelled gun that makes a loud noise without firing a shot.

"There is no convincing dividend of governance to justify such an expectation. No one sings the Lord’s song in a strange land.

"Umahi and Nwifuru should begin by providing functional primary healthcare facilities and addressing the persistent electricity challenges in Afikpo and other communities across Ebonyi State.

"Governance must first be felt by the people before political loyalty in the form of votes can reasonably be demanded of them.

'Otherwise, the disappointment at the polls may be louder than the chants in the stadium.

"Amasiri needs a functional primary healthcare centre and the release of its people who are being maliciously prosecuted, while Afikpo in general needs a reliable electricity supply."

2027: Umahi, Nwifuru’s promise to deliver Ebonyi political ruse – Lawyer to Tinubu