Founding Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, has hailed the defection of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and the PDP structure in the state to the APC, describing it as a unifying moment that has brought much-needed stability to the party.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday at Government House, Asaba, after a closed-door meeting with Governor Oborevwori, Emerhor expressed confidence that the governor’s leadership and the renewed unity within the APC would ensure victory for both the presidency and the governorship in the 2027 general elections.
“Today is truly a great day for us,” he said. “Being called the ‘founding leader’ is not just an appellation — it is a statement of fact. When we began building the APC in Delta State, we knew the challenges ahead. Since 1999, the PDP has been the ruling party in this state. But our dream has always been that one day, we would enter this Government House as APC. Today, that dream has become a reality.”
Emerhor, who was out of the country when other APC leaders, led by Minister Festus Keyamo, formally welcomed Oborevwori, said his visit was to reinforce the party’s unified support for the governor.
“I’m here today with the same message — to reinforce that he is very welcome,” Emerhor stated. “He is now our leader, and we are going to work with him.”
The former APC governorship candidate noted that Oborevwori’s defection has healed internal rifts within the party. “In the last election, we couldn’t deliver the president in Delta State. But now, we can confidently say both the president and governor will be delivered in 2027 — and that’s because of the unity we have found,” he declared.
He described the governor’s move to the APC as a “great favour,” highlighting the strategic value of combining the PDP’s political base with the APC’s existing structure.
“The strength of what he brings from the PDP and what we already have in the APC will ensure that, in the next election, both the president and the governor will be delivered without any difficulty,” Emerhor added.
Responding to concerns within the party about the new alliance, he said, “It is natural in party politics. But they will soon see the benefit of what has happened. We are on course to building a united party that can deliver victory at every level.”
The visit is being seen as a strategic consolidation of APC forces in Delta State, potentially redrawing the political landscape in a state historically dominated by the PDP.
