Anaughe urges Ughelli North/South, Udu constituents to reject Waive in 2027

Mr. Godwin Anaughe, Special Adviser on Strategy and Communications to Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, has urged constituents of Ughelli North/Ughelli South/Udu Federal Constituency to reject Rt. Hon. Francis Ejiroghene Waive in the 2027 elections.

In a statement issued in Warri, Anaughe dismissed Waive’s claim that Omo-Agege stopped the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Ovwian Bill, saying presidential correspondence and National Assembly records contradicted the allegation.

Waive had reportedly alleged during a campaign in Udu that Omo-Agege called him during the Ninth Assembly and directed him to abandon the FMC Ovwian Bill to pave the way for the Federal Polytechnic, Orogun. “At no time did Senator Omo-Agege summon Waive, nor did he ever ask him to step down or abandon the FMC Ovwian Bill,” Anaughe said, describing the allegation as “a reckless lie and a shameless attempt to tarnish Omo-Agege’s name.”

Anaughe said the legislative timeline contradicted Waive’s claim. He said Omo-Agege received confirmation of presidential approval for the Federal Polytechnic, Orogun, on February 23, 2021, while Waive’s FMC Ovwian Bill (HB 989) got its Second Reading on November 16, 2021, and Third Reading on September 29, 2022. “Orogun had been approved a full nineteen months before Waive’s bill reached Third Reading,” he said.

“How could Omo-Agege order you to drop a bill for a project that had already been approved nine months before your own bill even got a Second Reading?” Anaughe asked. He also cited Omo-Agege’s record as Deputy President of the Ninth Senate, including his role in the approval of the Federal University of Education, Isiokolo, sponsored by opposition lawmaker Hon. Ben Ibakpa, and his co-sponsorship of the Federal University of Agriculture and Technology, Aboh Bill, 2021 (SB. 733).

“A person with such a strong history of supporting federal initiatives from various lawmakers, including those in opposition, has no reason to covertly sabotage the FMC Ovwian Bill,” Anaughe said. He accused Waive of seeking someone to blame for his record in the House, saying, “After spending seven long years in the House with nothing to show for it, Waive is on the lookout for someone to blame.” He also described the alleged attack on Omo-Agege, whom he credited with helping Waive’s political rise, as “the height of betrayal.”

Anaughe challenged Waive to produce evidence of the alleged directive. “If Waive has evidence, let him produce it: give us the date, the venue, the witnesses. Show us the document,” he said. He concluded: “Until then, the facts are settled: Omo-Agege did not stop the FMC Ovwian Bill. The timeline does not support Waive’s claim. What he is peddling as history is nothing but fabrication.”