Former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege has taken his escalating political dispute with his former associate, Rev. Francis Ejiroghene Waive, into the spiritual realm, invoking biblical warnings against false witnesses and lying tongues in rejecting allegations that he frustrated the Federal Medical Centre, Ovwian Bill.
Omo-Agege’s camp, in a strongly worded rebuttal, accused the House of Representatives Member of bearing false witness against the man it described as his former political benefactor.
Waive, who represents Ughelli North, Ughelli South and Udu Federal Constituency, had alleged that Omo-Agege asked him during the Ninth National Assembly to step down the FMC Ovwian Bill because it supposedly conflicted with the proposed Federal Polytechnic Orogun.
The Lawmaker maintained that the alleged intervention occurred after the Medical Centre Bill received its first reading in the House on July 21, 2020.
Omo-Agege’s camp, however, denied that such a conversation ever took place, describing Waive’s allegation as a politically motivated fabrication ahead of the 2027 Delta Central Senatorial election.
“At no time did Senator Omo-Agege summon Waive, nor did he ever ask him to step down or abandon the FMC Ovwian Bill,” the statement said.
The former Deputy Senate President’s supporters relied on Presidential correspondence and National Assembly records to question Waive’s account.
According to the statement, Presidential approval for the Federal Polytechnic Orogun, was confirmed on February 23, 2021, while Waive’s FMC Ovwian Bill, identified as HB 989, did not receive its second reading until November 16, 2021. The Bill subsequently passed third reading on September 29, 2022.
The camp argued that the Orogun institution had secured Presidential approval nine months before the FMC Bill’s second reading and about 19 months before its third reading.
“What possible reason would Omo-Agege have to pressure him to stand it down?” the statement asked.
It challenged Waive to provide the date and details of the alleged conversation, including any witnesses or documentary evidence capable of supporting his claim.
The statement also cited Omo-Agege’s support for other proposed federal institutions as evidence that he had no history of obstructing development projects sponsored by fellow Delta Lawmakers.
It claimed that, as Deputy Senate President, Omo-Agege presided over the Senate’s approval of the Federal University of Education, Isiokolo Bill, sponsored by then opposition Lawmaker Ben Igbakpa.
The camp also pointed to his reported co-sponsorship of the Federal University of Agriculture and Technology, Aboh Establishment Bill, introduced by Senator Peter Nwaoboshi in 2021.
The disagreement then moved from legislative records to religious morality.
Questioning Waive’s conduct as a cleric, Omo-Agege’s camp quoted James 3:1 on the heavier judgment awaiting religious teachers and Proverbs 19:5, which declares that “a false witness shall not be unpunished.”
It further invoked Proverbs 6:16–19, stating that God detests “a lying tongue” and “a false witness that speaketh lies.”
The Biblical offensive followed Waive’s suggestion that Omo-Agege could swear at an Igbe shrine if he was certain that the alleged conversation did not happen.
Omo-Agege’s camp described Waive’s accusation as especially painful because of their former political relationship. It claimed that Omo-Agege’s political structure, resources and personal support helped Waive secure election to the House of Representatives in 2019 and again in 2023.
It consequently portrayed the dispute as an act of betrayal by a former political disciple seeking to challenge his old benefactor for influence in Delta Central.
Waive has maintained that Presidential approval for the Orogun Polytechnic does not prove that the alleged private conversation never occurred. He also claimed that he assisted Omo-Agege’s Polytechnic proposal through concurrence in the House while Omo-Agege allegedly worked against the FMC Bill.
The documentary timeline establishes when the proposals advanced through official channels, but it does not independently confirm or disprove an alleged private telephone conversation. Neither side has so far produced a recording or independent witness to the exchange.