The APC members were returning from Okerenkoko in Warri South West Local Government Area on Tuesday when the accident occurred.
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Ovie Omo-Agege, has suspended his campaigns following a boat accident involving some of the supporters of the party.
This is contained in a statement by the Director of Communications and Media Strategy of the Delta APC Campaign Council, Ima Niboro, on Wednesday.
According to the statement, the party members were returning from Okerenkoko in Warri South West Local Government Area on Tuesday when the accident occurred.
It said while two of them lost their lives, three others are missing and seven are receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.
Mr Niboro said Mr Omo-Agege, who is also the deputy senate president, and the Delta APC Campaign Council, received with shock and grief, news of the boat accident involving loyal party members and supporters.
"Information at our disposal indicates that a commercial boat traveling in the opposite direction rammed into the boat carrying our supporters, and that two persons lost their lives, three are missing, and seven others are in hospital receiving treatment from injuries sustained in the accident.
"We are shocked by this tragedy, and our hearts are heavy. Our prayers and thoughts are with the victims and their families. This is one tragedy too many, and our party is officially in mourning.
"We are currently working with the relevant authorities and communities to search for the missing. We are also in the process of reaching out to the families and loved ones of those that lost their lives, while ensuring that the injured receive the best care possible.
"In honour of the dead, missing and injured, we have decided to indefinitely suspend all further campaigns. The Campaign Council will advise on next steps in the coming days and weeks.
"Once again, we express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims, and pray that the Almighty comforts and gives them fortitude in these trying times," the statement said.
Meanwhile, Mr Omo-Agege has said the Export Processing Zone, EPZ, at Ogidigben, and the Maritime University at Okerenkoko, both in Warri South-West Local Government Area of Delta State, are critical to the development of the Niger Delta.
Speaking when the APC ward to ward campaign berthed in the local government, the APC candidate pointed out that the EPZ which was started by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration has been abandoned because the Governor Ifeanyi Okowa/ Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, administration in the state has not made it its priority.
"You remember that when the project started under the administration of former President Jonathan, former governor Emmanuel Uduaghan showed interest. Uduaghan was very much interested in the EPZ when he was governor. But since he left office, and Okowa took over, the project has been abandoned. When I become governor, I will consult Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu as President. We'll liaise with oil companies. This EPZ must become reality," he said.
Mr Omo-Agege lambasted Okowa/ PDP for insensitivity to the plight of the people of Warri South West, pointing out that their "hatred" for the area has blinded them to the immense opportunities that the EPZ brings to both the state and the region.
He pledged to liaise with the Bola Tinubu, if elected president, to bring development to the area.
According to him, the local government had contributed massively to the development of Nigeria, and it is only fair to reciprocate by ringing in concrete and tangible benefits.
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Mr Omo-Agege promised to work with the relevant authorities to ensure that the oil companies operating in the state return their headquarters to the oil producing areas.
His words: "Before I came here, I listened to my brother, Alex Eyengho, demanding that we force the oil companies to return to the area. When Tinubu becomes President, we will ensure that all the oil companies that left come back."
He said that he has the assurance of Mr Tinubu that the Delta ports which were once the live wire of the local economy would function again.
"This will create the enabling environment for businesses to thrive. Tinubu has assured me that once he becomes President, NPA will work again. Our ports in Koko, Warri and Burutu will work again. There will be plenty of jobs for our children."
