Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege CFR (born 3 August 1963) is a Nigerian lawyer and politician who is currently the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate. He is the senator representing the Delta State Central Senatorial District at the Nigerian senate. He was first elected in 2015 into the 8th senate. Omo-Agege is from the Orogun clan of the Urhobo ethnic group in the Ughelli North Local Government area of Delta State. He emerged as the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate of the 9th National Assembly on 11 June 2019 after he defeated his rival, Ike Ekweremadu with a margin of 31 votes to win the second leadership position in the National Assembly.

Omo-Agege is the first senator from Delta State to emerge as Deputy Senate President, and also the first Delta Central senator to be written by Perry 

Early life

Omo-Agege was born on 3 August 1963 in Delta State. He attended St. George Grammar school, Obinomba Obiaruku, Delta State.

Education and Work Life

He graduated in 1985 from the University of Benin with a degree in Law. He was called to the Nigerian bar in 1986.

In 2002, he obtained his master’s degree in law from Tulane University Law School.

Mr Omo-Agege studied Law at the University of Benin and was called to the Nigerian Bar as a Solicitor and Advocate of the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1986 after he completed the professional training program at the Nigerian Law School, Lagos.

He did his national youth service as an attorney at the Directorate of Criminal Investigation and Intelligence at the Nigerian Police Force in Ilorin, Kwara state between 1987 and 1988.

He also obtained a master’s of law degree from Tulane University Law School, New Orleans in 2002. He has practiced law both in Nigeria and the United States of America.

After his NYSC, the lawmaker began his legal career with PAT OKUPA & CO, Law firm in Lagos. After that, he co-founded Agege & Co in 1989, a private practice with an emphasis on corporate banking and commercial litigation matters.

In 1990, he moved to the United States of America (USA) where he became a foreign associate in the law office of Charles O. Agege in Los Angeles, California, and 1992, he was admitted into the State Bar of California, United States District Court (Central District of California) and the United States Supreme Court, Washington, DC.

Mr. Omo-Agege founded Agege & Associates in 1992 and by 1996, the firm merged into a partnership known as the AGEGE & ESIN and extended its scope of activities to include international wire transfers, insurance, professional malpractice, suits against foreign entities under the Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act (FSIA) and Domestic International Commercial arbitration, admiralty, and marine litigation practices, and extensive criminal defense litigation.

He also enrolled as a student in the postgraduate law degree program at Tulane University Law School, New Orleans, and obtained the LLM (Masters of Law) degree with distinction in 2002.

Career

Omo-Agege was deployed to Kwara State for his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC). He completed his NYSC with the Directorate of Criminal investigation and intelligence, Nigerian Police Force, Kwara State Command. Omo-Agege started his career in law by working with Pat Okupa & Co. in Lagos in 1987.

In 1989, he co-founded a law firm; Agege & Co. Omo-Agege moved to the United States of America in 1990, where he worked as a foreign associate at Charles O Agege’s law office in Los Angeles, California.

He was called to the State Bar of California, the United States District Court and the United States Supreme Court, Washington, DC. He returned to Nigeria in 1992 to establish Omo-Agege & Associates where he was also a senior partner. In 1996, he merged his firm Omo-Agege & associates in a partnership resulting in the name Agege & Esin.

Political life

Omo-Agege started out in politics by contesting for the ticket to be a representative at the Delta State House of Representatives under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, a ticket he lost in the party primaries. In 2003, former governor of Delta State, James Ibori, appointed Omo-Agege as an executive assistant, a position he held for two years. He was later appointed as a commissioner for special duties by the governor. He ran for the office of the Governor of Delta State but lost out at the People Democratic Party’s primaries to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan. He was appointed as the Secretary to the State Government of Delta State by Governor James Ibori in 2007. He ran for Senate in 2015 under the platform of the Labour Party. He was elected as a senator representing Delta’s central senatorial district on 28 March 2015.

He defected from the Labour Party to the All Progressive Congress (APC) on 7 March 2017. He was re-elected as the senator representing Delta Central in 2019 general elections. On 11 June 2019, he emerged as the new Deputy Senate President of the 9th National Assembly with 68 votes cast to beat Senator Ike Ekweremadu with 37 votes. The South-South caucus of the APC, on  Thursday 28 November 2019  chose the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, as the leader of the party in the region.

Controversies

In 2018, he was accused of leading thugs to invade the Nigerian Senate Chambers and made away with the Senate Mace.

Premium Times Review

Although he never officially declared his ambition for the position of the deputy senate president, Ovie Omo-Agege was endorsed by the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the position.

According to the National Working Committee (NWC) of APC, the decision to endorse the Delta Central senator was sequel to wide consultations with President Muhammadu Buhari as well as the party ‘stakeholders’, including APC governors.

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He contested for the position alongside former deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He emerged victorious after polling 68 votes to win his contender who garnered 37 votes in the secret ballot election held at the Senate chamber.

Mr Omo-Agege is now the deputy Senate president of the ninth assembly.

 Personal life and Wife

Omo-Agege is married to Rosemary Omo-Agege and they both have five children.

Awards and recognitions

In October 2022, Omo-Agege was conferred the Nigerian national honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (CFR) by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Networth

He is estimated to be worth between $1.5m – $5m

References