By Ife Osemedua
365Daily – Former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has declared his intention to return to the National Assembly, saying persistent appeals from constituents in Delta Central who feel underrepresented since his exit from the Senate have pushed him back into the race for the 2027 general elections.
Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, who represented Delta Central Senatorial District, says his decision to recontest followed what he described as a strong demand from his political base, which he claims has experienced a decline in representation at the federal level since he left office.
He spoke to journalists in Abuja on Thursday shortly after submitting his Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for the 2027 elections, insisting that his constituents had reassessed his legislative record in the Eighth and Ninth Senate and reached a clear conclusion.
“My constituents took their time to review my accomplishments in both the Eighth and Ninth Senate,” he said. “They have come to the realisation that since I moved away from the Senate, their voice is not being heard in the National Assembly.”
Omo-Agege argued that effective representation requires aggressive advocacy, stressing that legislative benefits are not automatically granted but must be actively pursued.
“The Nigerian project—nothing is given to you for free. You only receive what you fight for. That is why we have every state represented by three senators. So it is your ability to wage a war on their behalf that will determine what you are able to bring home to them by way of the dividends of democracy,” he said.
Beyond constituency concerns, the former Deputy Senate President said his return is also motivated by a desire to strengthen support for the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly its ongoing economic reforms.
He described policies such as the removal of fuel subsidy as difficult but necessary, arguing that they have improved fiscal allocations to states and reduced dependence on borrowing.
“As I speak to you today, not just Delta, but most states in this country, you hardly hear of governors clamouring to borrow money from banks to pay salaries and execute projects, and that is because of the economic policies of Mr President,” he said.
He added that subnational governments were already seeing the impact of the reforms.
“My governor, for instance, is always very proud to say he has not borrowed any money since he became governor, and we are happy with that. That is because of the policy of Mr President.”
Omo-Agege also warned that the continuity of the reforms could be threatened if incoming legislators in 2027 do not share the same policy direction as the current administration.
“We do not want this to be stopped. We do not want a situation where in 2027 a new crop of members of the National Assembly will come in and begin to complicate or try to reverse some of those policies. So we need adherent people who believe in those policies to be in the National Assembly to give support to Mr President.”
On party arrangements ahead of the primaries, he declared support for direct primaries rather than a consensus process, signalling his preference for a competitive internal selection.
With his formal entry into the 2027 race, Omo-Agege is positioning himself as a major contender in Delta Central and a key political voice aligned with the Tinubu administration’s legislative agenda in the next National Assembly cycle.