By : Ike Philip Abiagom
After reading Chucks Erhire’s rather combative riposte titled: “2027: Omo-Agege to Nwaoboshi, Stop Peddling Fake News, Says he will Contest the Governorship Election” which is a rejoinder to an interview granted by Senator Peter Nwaoboshi to multiple media outlets, where the former Senator representing Delta North Senatorial zone in the red chamber clearly stated that he had advised Senator Omo-Agege to reconsider his ambition to contest the 2027 governorship election against incumbent Governor and already endorsed candidate, Rt. Hon. Dr (Elder Sheriff Oborevwori, three things became quite obvious.
They are: first; it’s either Chuks Erhire, a prominent aide to the former Deputy Senate President is being economical with the truth on the matter, or second; he is certainly not privy to the high level engagements which Senator Nwaoboshi alluded to in his interview, especially due to his minion status as a mere aide connotes a lowly lackey whose presence or relevance was totally insignificant or negligible to deserve any confidential briefing subsequently.
The third and apparently most critical, yet indiscretionally unfortunate is the fact that Chuks Erhire, in his frenzied verve to announce his principal’s thinly veiled ambition to contest the 2027 governorship election, certainly did not comprehend the full import and nuances specifically and unequivocally embedded in Senator Nwaoboshi’s illuminating interview.
To put this rejoinder within the proper context of the subject conversation and to equally enlighten Mr. Chuks Erhire who probably must have missed it, Distinguished Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, a former chairman of the Senate Committee on Niger Delta, as he was reported by the various credible media establishments (including the Vanguard Newspaper of August 19, 2025), clearly disclosed that “he had ADVISED Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, the 2023 gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, not to contest against Sheriff Oborevwori, the incumbent governor, for the party’s 2027 ticket and he AGREED.”
Nwaboshi further noted that he did not BELIEVE the speculation that Omo-Agege would contemplate contesting against Oborevwori for the Delta APC 2027 gubernatorial ticket, when he requested for a meeting between himself(Sen. Omo-Agege),Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and the APC National Chairman.Even Senator Nwaoboshi and other APC top hierarchy were assiduously working on how to resolve the issue as discussed.
Senator Nwaoboshi said that since he changed his mind after their discussion even as he revealed for emphasis and corroboration that a former state governor was present when he spoke with Senator Omo-Agege at his Abuja residence about his candidacy against Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and that he (Nwaoboshi) had met with Governor Oborevwori, who is the state’s new APC leader, and beseeched him to work harmoniously with Omo-Agege and everybody.
So, it becomes quite incredible and baffling from the above, how Chuks Erhire, as a top aide to Senator Omo-Agege could have completely missed the content and context of the interview. Mr. Erhire categorically stated in his fanciful statement couched as an urgent “update” that: “Senator Peter Nwaoboshi did not have any political rapport with Senator Ovie Omo-Agege with regards to burying his governorship ambition for Sheriff Oborevwori in 2027.
“To set the record straight, our Principal, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege did NOT indulge in any phone conversation or round table discussion with Senator Peter Nwaoboshi concerning forfeiting his governorship quest for Sheriff Oborevwori in 2027,” he wrote authoritatively.
He then proceeded with choice invectives, typical of vitriolic deceit bordering on desperation, not only to describe the content of the interview as “fake, malicious, too petty and erroneous” but to outrightly dismiss it as “fake news which was the handwork of mischief makers from the tenants of Delta APC, to score cheap political points and deceive Deltans to align with Sheriff Oborevwori in the governorship election.”
The most important information of his acrimonious rejoinder however, was contained in the paragraph where he stated inter-alia that: “We the pragmatic political soldiers of Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, call on all Deltans to pay deaf ears to the fake news and look forward to seeing Senator Ovie Omo-Agege partake in the governorship election in Delta State in 2027.” That’s it, in black and white. Uncensored.
Funny enough, the lie in Erhire’s claim is too obvious to ignore, Chuks Erhire describes the contents of the published interview as “fake news which is the handiwork of mischief makers from tenants of Delta APC to score cheap political points….” But can any sensible and right thinking political figure in the state really describe Senator Peter Nwaoboshi(Political Oracle)as a “Tenant” in Delta APC?
Perhaps Mr. Erhire was thinking properly in his eagerness to discredit the interview, otherwise he would have quickly realized before going public, that Senator Omo-Agege, by whatever parameters he has used to categorize some people as “tenants of Delta APC” is himself also a “Tenant” in the party. Anyways, minions like Erhire are usually fond of committing this kind of overzealous blunder to please their paymaster.
Admirably, Most Distinguished Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, has, in his dignified, elder statesmanly demeanor, refrained from joining issues with a mere aide like Chuks Erhire, who without doubt and like a ventriloquist’s doll, is definitely projecting his master’s voice and pronouncing his master’s words, in this sly act of laughable Stagecraft, but impeccable sources within the very inner circles of the former Delta North Senator and Senate Committee Chairman on Niger Delta, have revealed the following:
1. That following the mass Tsunami-like movement (as lyrically coined by President Bola Tinubu represented by VP Kahim Shetimma), of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and the entire government and People’s Democratic Party PDP, structure (including immediate past Governor Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa), to All Progressives Congress APC, on April 23, 2025. A meeting indeed held at the Abuja residence of Senator Peter Nwaoboshi and the former Governor present at that meeting was none other than the Godfather himself, Chief James Onanefe Ibori (Ogidigboigbo), and just last week Wednesday Senator Nwaoboshi held another meeting with Senator Ovie Omo- Agege at his Abuja residence and a top former National Assembly member from Delta North, who had also defected from PDP to APC with Governor Oborevwori, Hon. Pascal Adigwe was in Senator Nwaoboshi’s his house and can attest to the claim.
2. It was also emphasized at that meeting, which was very cordial and familial (relating to the collective APC Political family), that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, by virtue of his status has automatically become the leader of the Party in Delta State.
3. That in view of the unanimous endorsements of both President Tinubu and Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for their 2nd terms, by the Party in the State and across all the Local Government Areas (including their wards and units), Senator Nwaoboshi advised and entreated Senator Omo-Agege, in the presence of the former Governor to embrace the party’s endorsement like the loyal party man that he is, shelve his ambition to contest the governorship in 2027 and deploy his political structure towards delivering victory for the APC in the Guber election.
4. Senator Nwaoboshi, had earlier met with Governor Oborevwori and beseeched him to work harmoniously with Omo-Agege and everybody, even offered to set up the meeting between the Governor and Senator Omo-Agege in line with consolidating the arrangement for the Governor to work harmoniously with all.
5. From all indices and visible indicators, the fact on ground as of now, is that Senator Omo-Agege has neither agreed to comply with the advise and entreaty to shelve his 2027 Guber ambition nor accepted the invitation to have a definitive meeting with Governor Oborevwori where the terms of a harmonious and mutually satisfactory working relationship will be consummated to the benefit of all interests.
On a final note, what is glaringly obvious from Chuks Erhire’s urgent “update” statement, is a devious and surreptitious attempt at gaslighting Distinguished Senator Peter Nwaoboshi to create the impression that the meeting where the former DSP was advised to shelf his 2027 Guber ambition did not hold and is a figment of the imagination of those who conjured it, even when the presence of a former Delta State Governor has been mentioned as witness to that meeting.
So, is this unwholesome agenda by Chuks Erhire delivered in his master’s voice, to ridicule, embarrass and tarnish the towering image and reputation of a beloved former Governor, by making him a conspirator who is complicit to a meeting that didn’t hold, a wise or foolish move? Only time will tell, but the insult has been noted by all.
Sadly, the ultimate objective of this overarching statement of declaration, is to announce to Deltans and inform the APC family in the state, that Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, despite the unanimous endorsement of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori for a second term by the party, is going to contest the Delta State governorship election in 2027 and knowing the colourful enterprise and robust trajectory of the former DSP’s previous political engagements, he usually doesn’t fly a kite when it comes to pursuing his political ambition.