I will resume legislative duties today – Sen Omo-Agege

* Parallel congresses, exercise in futility, says APC
Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (APC, Delta Central) has vowed to resume full legislative duties today, saying that there will be regrets if anyone tries to stand in his ways.

Senator Omo-Agege stated this in Abuja on Monday when he, alongside Chief Great Ogboru and Prophet Jones Erue led State Working Committee of the party accompanied the Alhaji Sani Dododo led Congresses Committee to submit the report of weekend’s local government congresses in Delta state to the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja

Senator Omo-Agege was in the Senate chamber when some hoodlums invaded and carted away the mace while the Federal High Court in Abuja later declared his suspension as null and void.

The senator said, “The enrolment of the Court Order is being served on the Senate as we speak so; I reserve the right to resume whenever I deem fit. I do not expect any resistance because that will have its own consequences.

This is a court order and you must understand the basis of the court judgment. The court rendered that judgment because it felt that they were contemptuous.

My matter was in court and notwithstanding, they proceeded to purportedly suspend me. It was on that basis that the court exercised its discretionary powers to reverse the suspension and not necessarily on the merit of my case.

“Now, I understand that they have gone to court to ask for a stay of judgment. For those of you who are familiar with the law, that is an equitable relief. He who comes to equity must come with clean hands.

You cannot be in contempt of the court and at the same time ask the court to grant you an equitable relief of stay. In any case, it is a declaratory judgment which is not stay able in law, and the judge said with immediate effect. So, I don’t need any other action to take my seat.

So, to answer your question, I will show up any time I deem fit. There is no reason why I should not show up tomorrow (Tuesday). More likely, I will be in the Senate tomorrow”.

Earlier, Chairman of the APC Congresses Committee in the state, Alhaji Sani Dododo dismissed reports that there was a parallel exercise in the state, saying constitutionally, only the report of his committee is authentic.

He said, “Last week, we came and submitted our results for the ward congresses and today we are also here to present the authentic results of local government congresses in Delta state.

All the delegates and stakeholders were gathered in Asaba and after addressing them, we immediately swung into action, distributed election materials and the congresses were conducted in the presence of INEC and the security agencies.

“There was no violence, rancour or intimidations. Here with me are those who matter in Delta politics; the only serving senator, the chairman of the party, Chief Great Ogboru and the Minister of Petroleum and other stakeholders.

As far as I am concerned, there was one congress in Delta State which I was the chairman of the committee and for which I am here to submit the results.

Whether there was anything parallel, I do not know. I am on the same page with every APC member in Delta state. Olorogun Ortega Emerhor is an APC member, the result his team is brandishing is left for Nigerians to judge. The one I am holding is the authentic one”.

In his contribution, Chief Ogboru accused the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun of meddling into the work of the congress committee, describing it as a slap on democracy.

He said: “I felt last week that the national chairman of the party was interfering unduly and unjustly and unconstitutionally in the congresses that were taking place in Delta State and for good reasons, it is sufficient to say that there was undue interference in the process which we felt that the chairman had no authority to do, and for which we told him to his face that what he had done, not only was it unconstitutional but it was a slap on democracy and we will not stand by it”.

Meanwhile, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC has condemned parallel congresses of the party, describing as an exercise in futility, any congress conducted by people other than the committee deployed by the party in the states for that purpose.

The party spokesman, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the APC position is that there is no such thing as parallel congress”.

In a statement made available on Monday, the APC said; “The only congress recognized by the party is that conducted in accordance with the party constitution, which was organized by the congress committee charged by the party to organize such congress.

“We therefore regard any so-called parallel congresses as exercises in futility and attempts to cause confusion in the party. We wish to reiterate that any party member who has any genuine grievances regarding the congresses should channel such through the Appeals Committee in their respective states”, Abdullahi added.

It was reported that Saturday’s APC local government congresses saw the emergence of parallel executives in many states of the federation.