The rift within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State has taken another dimension.
The crisis may not be unconnected to the planned solidarity walk in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term ambition.
The rally, organised by grassroots loyalists of the party under the leadership of Hon. Chief Emmanuel Adigwe, was billed as a show of unity and to support Tinubu’s presidential bid ahead of the 2027 polls.
But the Delta State chapter of APC has disowned the event and threatened disciplinary action against its organisers.
A statement, yesterday, by APC State Publicity Secretary, Valentine Onojeghuo, described the planned rally as “unauthorised and unsanctioned,” warning that any further action by the organisers would be met with strict party sanctions.
“No individual or group has the right to organize or brand any activity as an official APC event without express approval from the party leadership. Any deviation will be interpreted as defiance and met with swift consequences,” the statement read.
However, in a swift reaction, an organiser of the event, Hon. Chuks Erhire, insisted the walk will hold, “whether the devil likes it or not.”
He added, “We cannot allow ADC-style sabotage to cripple our efforts to reposition APC in Delta.
“lt is a calculated attempt to undermine Tinubu’s growing popularity and alleged that the Chairman of the party in the state, Elder Omeni Sobotie, is working for opposition interests within the Atiku Abubakar-led African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“We see through his schemes, and we will not be intimidated, maintaining that the solidarity walk will proceed as planned, warning that loyal APC foot soldiers would not be silenced by anti-Tinubu elements hiding in the party. Sobotie is deliberately sabotaging the President’s political base in Delta” he declared.
He also called on the APC National Working Committee to urgently investigate Sobotie’s alleged activities, which he claimed were not only divisive but also designed to weaken Tinubu’s chances in the state.
