There is uneasy calm in the All Progressives Congress (APC), Delta State chapter.
The recent defection of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Dennis Guwor and the collapse of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) structures into the APC seems to have aggravated leadership tensions within the party.
The unfolding internal dynamics suggest a looming tussle for the APC’s ticket in the upcoming gubernatorial election.
The beginning….
Before Oborevwori and the PDP heavyweights joined the APC, the battle for the party’s soul was between former deputy senate president, Ovie Omo-Agege and the minister of aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo.
Omo-Agege had been recognised as the party’s leader in the South-South geopolitical zone, maintaining huge influence, especially given his gubernatorial ambitions for 2027.
On the other hand, Keyamo, having served as a minister in the previous administration and now a senior minister handling the Ministry of Aviation, also lays claim to leadership of the party in the state.
It seemed like Omo-Agege and Keyamo were gearing up for a battle for APC’s guber ticket in 2027 but the arrival of the PDP juggernauts altered that arrangement but created a new power tussle.
Who Controls The APC?
Months before his formal defection, some PDP leaders had accused Oborevwori of plans to join the APC, a claim he repeatedly denied until it happened last month.
A hint of a change in power dynamics within the APC emerged when Senator Ned Nwoko who had earlier left the PDP for the APC, repeatedly kicked against Oborevwori joining the APC.
However, a first indication of how feisty the contestation for the control of the APC was going to be came to the fore when APC leaders including the national chairman, Dr Umar Ganduje and the chairman of the APC Governors Forum, Hope Uzodimma met with party stakeholders, especially Omo-Agege from Delta State, ahead of the formal reception of Oborevwori.
It was learnt that the meeting was to clear the haze over who would control the party in the state as well as assuage frayed nerves.
In the build-up to the meeting, it was learnt Omo-Agege had held onto the notion of retaining party leadership. However, after the meeting, he issued a statement welcoming Oborevwori even though it was signed as former deputy senate president and APC leader in the state.
However, the contest over the leadership of the party was seemingly put to bed when Vice President Kashim Shettima affirmed Oborevwori as the recognised leader of the APC in Delta as stipulated by the party’s constitution.
Shettima, who spoke on behalf of President Bola Tinubu at the Asaba reception, said, “Now that you (referring to Oborevwori, Okowa and others) have come, we are all co-owners because, according to the constitution of the party, the governor is the leader of the party in the state. This is now as much your party as it is ours.”
Oborevwori echoed the same assertion at the gathering when he said, “As I have come (joined the APC), there will be no faction again. Let me tell you, the governor is in charge and we are taking charge.
“There is confusion and division within the APC in Delta, but with my emergence as governor, all factions must yield to my leadership.”
He called on Omo-Agege and Keyamo to set aside their egos and unite for the party’s progress.
He raised the hands of Omo-Agege and Keyamo at the gathering, signaling unity. Keyamo had been more receptive to Oborevwori, having led APC federal lawmakers to welcome the governor.
Nonetheless, the uncertainty over APC leadership at the state level had to be cleared.
The APC chairman in the state, Elder Omeni Sobotie, told party members to stop asking for resignation letters from the PDP.
He instructed that everyone who followed Oborevwori and Okowa to the APC should be allowed to register and join the party freely.
As it stands, the structure of the APC on ground before Oborevwori crossed over is still under the grip of Omo-Agege till probably August when the party may likely conduct fresh ward and local government congresses.
For his loyalists, these are testaments to his impact as the most-senior ranking political officeholder in the state after serving as a major political officeholder in the country being deputy senate president in the 9th Senate. He was at some point the APC leader in the South-South geopolitical zone.
Political analysts believe these achievements, coupled with his 2027 governorship ambition, is the more reason the new Delta APC would have Omo-Agege as a force to contend with in the months ahead.
“Omo-Agege would be a thorn in the flesh of the Delta APC under the leadership of Governor Oborevwori who is likely to seek his return ticket under the same APC which now houses nearly all the political bigwigs and gladiators of the Delta politics,” a party chieftain told LEADERSHIP Sunday in confidence.
Apparently sensing what lies ahead, the Delta State chapter of the APC, issued a statement to formally address the leadership structure of the party in the state following the official defection and membership of Governor Oborevwori.
The state publicity secretary of the party, Valentine Onojeghuo, maintained that the governor’s leadership is “not subject to debate or contention,” asserting that the vice president’s endorsement is the official stance of the national party.
“It is a principle consistent with our party’s tradition and leadership structure across the federation whereby, the sitting governor of a state under the APC platform becomes the leader of the party in that state.
“This fact was clearly and unequivocally affirmed by His Excellency, Vice President Kashim Shettima, during the official defection event. The vice president’s declaration reflects the official position of the national leadership of our party and must be respected by all stakeholders and members within the party in Delta State as authoritative, binding and final,” he said.
His firm stance appears to be a direct rebuttal to any claims by Omo-Agege or other factions that seek to challenge Oborevwori’s authority. The party warned against divisive actions that could undermine unity, vowing to impose sanctions on anyone attempting to destabilise the leadership.
Political analysts have warned that such internal conflicts may hinder the party’s cohesion and electoral prospects, especially as stakeholders scrutinise Oborevwori’s handling of the leadership crisis.
But Oborevwori is likely to have an ally in Minister Keyamo. Welcoming the governor into the APC, and leading a high-powered delegation of party leaders to the governor, Keyamo hailed his defection as a unifying force and a significant step toward long-term political stability.
He described themselves as the “gatekeepers” of the APC in Delta, saying “We are here today as one unit – the gatekeepers of the party in Delta State. Outside of this group, there is no APC in Delta.”
Keyamo, alongside three senators, the state’s sole APC House of Representatives member and other senior figures, declared an unconditional and wholehearted welcome for Oborevwori, describing his defection as a “blessing to the party, the state, Mr President and the good people of Delta State.”
Looking ahead, Keyamo confidently predicted a smooth political future for the party in the state. “We are looking at 2031,” he said to the cheering of party leaders.
Meanwhile, the influence of former Governor James Ibori remains an unquantified factor as his support could sway allegiances in the complex Delta political landscape. Ibori, a former governor of Delta State and an ally of President Bola Tinubu had had a frosty relationship with Oborevwori and his predecessor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa following irreconcilable differences arising from Okowa’s refusal to allow Ibori produce his successor, David Edebvie.
It is still not clear where Ibori stands in this current political game of the Oborevwori administration. His godson, Edebvie, is yet to take a stand on the defection; he still has his eyes on the governorship seat.
However, to pacify party members, the deputy governor of Delta State, Sir Monday Onyeme, has assured all Deltans that his boss would not discriminate in terms of political patronage.
He gave the assurance during an enlarged meeting of APC leadership and the Ndokwa nation in Asaba.
At the occasion, he said, “We have a governor who will not discriminate against anybody because of political interests.
“I am aware that before we moved from the PDP to the APC, a lot of persons who worked against him were given political appointments and you all know me that I deal with you as an individual not because of your political leaning. I will advise you to be more visible in your support for our governor and our president, Bola Tinubu, that will earn you political patronage.”
PDP, although depleted, still has members who did not follow the governor to the APC.
At a recent gathering, they vowed to rebuild and keep the PDP strong and their plan might be to poach disgruntled APC stalwarts like Omo-Agege.
The new PDP leader in the state and caretaker chairman of PDP in the South-South region, Elder Emmanuel Ogidi, who is leading this effort said at the gathering, that a new PDP team would be ready to take charge in the state in one month.
However, a hint of what the PDP seeks to do was noted by a former state commissioner for Higher Education and Agriculture in Delta State, Prof Patrick Muoboghere. He told Omo-Agege to come back to the PDP and pursue his governorship ambition in 2027.
While offering this invitation, Muoboghere said, like a lion, Omo-Agege has been caged in his own den. “He should not allow himself to be humiliated and pushed around in the APC where his leadership is being undermined. The PDP is ready to welcome him back with open arms and support his governorship ambition and ensure he succeeds in his political endeavors,” he said.
Whether the new opposition party in the state can rebuild on time to pose a threat to the APC is another matter.
Nevertheless, the months ahead hold intriguing prospects of what would become of an APC, peopled by experienced gladiators, struggling to assert themselves.
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