Dema Upsets Omo-Agege, Secures NDC Delta Central Senatorial Ticket

Former Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, has lost the New Democratic Congress (NDC) primary election for the Delta Central Senatorial District to Olorogun Dr. Onome Bernice Dema, former President of the Urhobo Progress Union (UPU) North America.
The keenly contested primary saw Omo-Agege record victories in several of his traditional strongholds, including Ughelli North, Ughelli South, Udu and Uvwie local government areas. However, Dema’s overwhelming performance in other strategic areas proved decisive in determining the outcome of the election.
The defining moment of the contest came in Sapele and Okpe local government areas, where Dema secured landslide victories that erased Omo-Agege’s gains elsewhere. In Sapele, Dema polled 1,352 votes compared to Omo-Agege’s four votes, while in Okpe she garnered 1,650 votes against his five votes.
Omo-Agege maintained a strong showing in Ughelli North with 1,024 votes and emerged ahead in Ughelli South, polling 1,160 votes against Dema’s 1,146. He also won convincingly in Udu, where he secured 900 votes to Dema’s 250, and in Uvwie, where he polled 400 votes against her 200.
Ethiope West produced a closely fought contest, with Omo-Agege scoring 360 votes while Dema secured 340 votes. The result from Ethiope East Local Government Area was cancelled and did not form part of the final tally.
At the conclusion of the exercise, Dema emerged victorious with 4,973 votes, while Omo-Agege finished second with 3,853 votes. Other contenders, Akpodiete and Ineneji, received 92 and 31 votes respectively.
Political observers attributed Dema’s victory largely to her commanding margins in Sapele and Okpe, which outweighed Omo-Agege’s dominance in his traditional support bases and paved the way for her emergence as the NDC’s Delta Central senatorial candidate.
Final Results:
Onome Bernice Dema – 4,973 votes
Ovie Omo-Agege – 3,853 votes
Akpodiete – 92 votes
Ineneji – 31 votes
With the primary concluded, Dema will represent the NDC in the forthcoming Delta Central Senatorial election, while attention turns to the political implications of Omo-Agege’s unexpected defeat.