A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, ), has alleged Senator Ovie Omo-Agege’s wrestle for “power” led to the party’s gross failure in the recent gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections in the state.

The former military administrator, in a statement on Tuesday, also labeled former Delta State Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan and Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu as “moles” who put their individual interests before those of the APC.

Decrying the party’s woeful performance in the 2019 polls, Ajobena whose daughter sought the Okpe House of Assembly seat and lost, claimed the Delta Central Senator “conspired against Ogboru” to hijack the party’s structure for his alleged 2023 governorship ambition.

According to him: “Senator Omo-Agege for his selfish and pretentious support role for Ogboru’s governorship conspired against Ogboru and actually has had a hidden agenda to takeover/hijack the House of Assembly that would emerge should APC win the election.

“The people in the NWC saw through this evil scheme and advised Ogboru to identify persons that would be loyal to him to replace Omo-Agege’s handpicked candidates for the House of Assembly.

“This opened another front in the grand conspiracy as to who would be in charge of Delta State’s affairs should APC win the election.

‘’This was the background to the internal rift in the Prophet Jones/Ogboru led camp.

“With the open endorsement of Ogboru’s candidacy and his handpicked would be House of Assembly team, Senator Omo-Agege went back to re-strategise on how best he could position himself to be in charge.

“It was against the background of these internal undercurrent of power struggle that I admonished that we go into the election as a united APC team while we wait for the court to decide who should be on the driver’s seat in managing the affairs of an APC government which all long suffering Deltans were looking forward to,” AVM Ajobena stated.

Recalling events leading to the party’s primaries last year, the retired AVM described Kachikwu and Uduaghan as “moles” in the party

He added the minister made no or little efforts “to intervene,” in the disunity among party stakeholders despite the national chairman, Adams Oshiomole’s, directive to reconcile all factions last June.

“The outcome of the primaries was predictable and our party was heading on a course of self- destruction.

‘’Again, on October 11, 2018, I reached out to all our party leaders calling for a political solution to the crisis rocking the party, again the call was ignored.

“When all INEC doors and windows had been tightly shut, the Minister started pretending that he is doing a great job of trying to broker unity within the party. Are we fools?

‘’For avoidance of doubt we know where the Minister’s interest lies. Fortunately, for him he has found an ally for the pursuit of that interest with the entrance of Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan into the party,” Ajobena alleged.