Utomi, Ogboru Camps Battle For Supremacy In Delta ADC

Ahead of its congresses, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), in Delta State appears to have splinted into two camps.

While a faction is being led by the George Timinimi-led Transition Leadership Team, the other is controlled by the State Chairman of the party, Mr. Austine Okolie.

The rift comes ahead of polling unit and ward congresses scheduled for 7th April and state congresses on 11th April. The national convention of the party is scheduled for April 14.

Recently, Austine Okolie had made an advertorial claiming that Prof Pat Utomi and not Chief Great Ogboru is the State Leader of the ADC in the state, expressing how the advertorial has divided the unification process of ADC in the state.

The controversial public notice and statement issued on 25th March 2026 asserted that Prof Pat Utomi is the “duly recognized Leader of the Delta State Coalition,” has continued to ignite a raging internal firestorm.

According to the notice, Utomi, who ran as the ADC Presidential candidate in 2007, is entitled to lead the coalition in Delta state under the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) guidelines on coalition leadership.

Okolie emphasized Utomi’s political pedigree, including his tenure as Presidential Adviser to Shehu Shagari in 1983 and his numerous high-level appointments in the federal government.

“Chief Great Ogboru remains a respected and prominent leader in Delta State politics; however, he is not the Delta State Coalition Leader,” Okolie stated, in what he described as an effort to bring clarity.

However, within days, the ADC Transitional Leadership Team in the state led by George Timinimi accused Okolie of sowing discord and deliberately undermining the national party’s unification efforts, though clarified that there is no division in the party as erroneously being portrayed by Austin Okolie.

The Transition Leadership Team, in a statement signed by one of its members, Elder Fred Akpewe; said the fact that Delta ADC was in a coalition, with an office separate from the state secretariat of the party, did not amount to a division.

It noted that since the inauguration of the Senator David Mark led ADC Coalition, leading to the swearing-in of the Delta State ADC statutory leadership team, of which Okolie is a member, he had constituted himself as a clog in the wheel of progress of the party.

The Team added that though Okolie belonged to the 10-man Delta State Membership Revalidation, Mobilisation and Registration Committee (MRMRC) he had continued to work independently of the committee.

The George Timinimi-led Transition Leadership Team stated that the National Chairman of the party, Senator David Mark; had insisted that all the tendencies in Delta state must unite as one body before congress, but that while its members showed exemplary maturity by recently attending a unification meeting in the state ADC secretariat situated at Midwifery Road Asaba, Austine Okolie refused to attend.

He further stated that within the last three days, Okolie had made a one-page  advertorial claiming that Prof Pat Utomi and not Chief Great Ogboru is the State Leader of the ADC in the State, expressing concern how such a divisive advertorial will help the unification process of ADC in the state.

The Transition Leadership Team said Okolie had also made a provocative statement online instructing Delta State ADC members to collect Congress Expression of Interest Forms from the Midwifery Road state secretariat, warning that any form collected from outside the secretariat would be declared invalid.

The leadership team likened Okolie’s conduct to that of an agent provocateur, warning that his unilateral moves risk misleading well-meaning but uninformed party supporters. “Some ill-informed but innocent supporters of Austin Okolie are still in an ill-fated ship heading to hit the rocks. The ship is rudderless, has no sails, and no compass,” the statement read..

Dr. Leo Ebinim, chairman of the state MRMR committee, warned that Okolie’s unilateral actions could undo months of meticulous preparation. “The work of the MRMR committee has been extremely successful, supervised by our national representative, Professor Festus Arunaye. Yet, actions like those of Okolie threaten to undo progress and misrepresent the party’s internal cohesion to the public,” Ebinim said.

The Transitional Leadership Team emphasized that Senator Mark has repeatedly directed all factions to cooperate and operate under a single strategic vision. Okolie’s refusal to follow these directives is widely viewed as a personal power play rather than an effort to strengthen the party.

The controversy is further complicated by the existence of parallel ADC secretariat in Delta State and at the national level in Abuja. The national ADC secretariat operates at 121 Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2, while a secondary office at Oyo Street, Garki, remains functional. Similarly, Delta State hosts both the Midwifery Road office, used by Okolie, and the DLA Road office, operated by the state leadership team.

The Transitional Leadership Team argues that Okolie’s insistence on centralizing operations at Midwifery Road, while ignoring DLA Road, is inconsistent with coalition practice and a deliberate attempt to monopolize control over congress procedures.

“It is a well-known fact that in coalitions, multiple secretariats exist side by side. Even at the national level, there is no friction between offices. It is only Okolie who refuses to comply with the pre-established structure of the Delta State leadership team,” Akpewe stated.

Prince Chinedu Idigo, the National Organizing Secretary, confirmed that expression-of-interest forms for congressional aspirants are to be collected from the officially sanctioned leadership secretariat free of charge, with conditions for eligibility clearly stipulated. Okolie’s instructions, however, have reportedly created confusion, contradicting national party procedures and threatening the integrity of the electoral process within the party

“It is necessary to inform the state ADC members that apart from the state ADC secretariat, there exists an ADC leadership team secretariat along DLA Road Asaba. This is not a strange concept in a Coalition because even in Abuja, the National ADC Secretariat exists side by side with the Coalition Secretariat from which Senator David Mark and his NWC Committee members operate.

“This brand new ADC National Headquarters is at 121, Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 2. The old ADC Secretariat is located at 4, Oyo Street, Area 2 , Garki , Abuja. There is no friction between the two offices because the pioneer ADC Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu; had handed over the reins of the party to Senator David Mark at an impressive ceremony in 2025.

“It is the refusal of Austine Okolie to toe the line of his former ADC National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu; that has led to the seeming current leadership tussle in Delta ADC”, the Transition Leadership Team stated.

It explained that it was empowered by a Resolution of the ADC National Working Committee and mandated to steer the affairs of the party at the state level pending the conduct of the impending Ward, LGA and State Congresses.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Austine Okolie is a member of the State Leadership Team. Unfortunately, for reasons best known to him, he has refused to participate in any meeting called in the State Leadership Secretariat along DLA Road, despite repeated invitation”, the statement said.

The Team revealed that it was currently winding down the highly successful activities of the State MRMR Committee led by its Chairman, Leo Ebinim,, and ably supervised by the National MRMRC representative in Delta State, Prof Festus Arunaye, pointing out that the National Organizing Secretary of ADC had approved the distribution of Expression of lnterest Forms by the  Delta State Chairman of the Transitional Leadership team, Barr George Timinimi.

It disclosed that the Expression of Interest forms had been paid for in Abuja by the Leader of the State ADC Leadership Team and could be collected free of charge at the State Leadership Secretariat along DLA Road, Asaba, upon meeting some simple conditions

“These explanations have become necessary because Austine Okolie has been creating the erroneous impression that there is division in Delta ADC, when in the real sense of it there is none. Austine Okolie has shown that he does not understand the politics of coalition.

“Whilst no one is contesting the fact that he is the State Chairman of ADC, he should also realize that the pre – Coalition ADC is just one of the parties that have opted to form a Coalition. Other parties like the PDC, APC, Labour Party, amongst others, are also in the coalition”, the statement clarified.

The Transition Leadership Team called on all committed ADC members in Delta state to remain united and carefully follow the directives of the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Senator David Mark, ahead of the party congresses and the national convention.

It urged Austine Okolie to realise that he belonged to State Statutory Leadership Team and the State MRMR Committee, making it imperative that he should join hands with the Leadership Team to move the party forward, reminding him that his belligerent approach to party matters was counter-productive and might potentially mislead some members.