…as Waive calls for massive voter mobilisation
Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta Central Senatorial District have reaffirmed their loyalty to President Bola Tinubu and Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, with leaders calling for unity, discipline and renewed mobilisation as the 2027 general elections draw closer.
The commitment was made yesterday at a strategic meeting held at the Petroleum Training Institute (PTI), Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area. The forum brought together senior government officials, party executives, grassroots coordinators and other key stakeholders to review the APC’s internal cohesion and political preparedness in the district.
Moving the motion for the pledge of loyalty, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Olorogun Festus Keyamo (SAN), commended President Tinubu for strengthening national security and stabilising the economy.
He noted that security indicators across the country were improving, attributing the gains to the administration’s firm approach to tackling insecurity.
Keyamo also hailed Governor Oborevwori’s infrastructural strides in Delta State and urged party members to uphold discipline ahead of the forthcoming APC congresses.
He cautioned aspirants against relying on external influence, stressing that no one would “secure the party’s ticket from Abuja” without the endorsement of local leaders and grassroots structures.
On his part, the State APC Chairman, Elder Omeni Sobotie, described the district’s political shift from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC as strategic, urging members to embrace genuine grassroots mobilisation and remain resilient ahead of political challenges.
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Chairman of the Delta Central APC, Chief Paulinus Akpeki, cautioned against factionalism, insisting that the party must operate under a single leadership structure.
“Delta State APC has only one leader, and that leader is His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, the Governor of Delta State. This is not up for debate. Any loyalty outside this structure is unacceptable,” he declared.
He announced reforms, including mandatory monthly senatorial meetings and the establishment of a Delta Central APC Caucus Committee to drive strategic planning, conflict resolution, mobilisation, and performance monitoring.
Meanwhile, the Member representing Ughelli North, Ughelli South, and Udu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Francis Waive, has raised alarm over the drastic decline in voter numbers in Delta Central, warning that the trend threatens the region’s political relevance.
Waive, who is Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, lamented that Delta Central once contributed about 60 percent of total votes in Delta State when the state was created in 1991, a figure he said has dropped to about 30 percent without any war, disaster or pandemic to justify such a decline.
The visibly concerned lawmaker said some LGAs that previously produced over 50,000 votes now struggle with drastically lower figures, warning that “something is going wrong.”
He urged political leaders to aggressively mobilise eligible voters in the ongoing Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) voter registration exercise, emphasising that every adult aged 18 and above must be encouraged to register, including indigenes living outside the state.
Waive further warned that inaction could leave future generations describing today’s leaders in Urhobo land as “political eunuchs”, a label he insisted must be avoided.
He stressed that voter numbers directly determine political strength, adding: “Even if you want to rig an election, you can only rig to the extent of the number of registered voters you have.”
Other speakers, including Senator Ede Dafinone, NEXIM Bank Executive Director Stella Okotete, Chief Solomon Igrakpata, and Chief Andrew Oru, echoed the call for unity, discipline, and mobilisation.
Local Government APC chairmen present at the meeting unanimously pledged to deliver maximum votes for President Tinubu, Governor Oborevwori, and all APC candidates in 2027.
