By Austin Ogwuda
…You are partisan by supporting her attack claim, Delta APC slams Oghara Chiefs
Controversy trailing the Local Government Congress held by the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday in which Hon Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu representing Ethiope federal constituency in the National Assembly, the daughter of the former Governor of Delta State, Chief James Ibori was reportedly attacked, has assumed another dimension.
She has come out to tell the said attackers and their purported sponsors that as a daughter of a lion, she can’t be cowed or bow to intimidation.
Hon Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, in a post on her Facebook page, poetically wrote:
“With all that happened during Saturday’s Congress, with the violence we witnessed, one thing remains clear:
We are unshaken.
The noise did not define us.
The hostility did not weaken us.
The intimidation did not silence us.
What was meant to discourage us only revealed our resilience.
What was meant to divide us only strengthened our unity.
We do not respond to violence with fear.
We respond with courage.
We do not bow to chaos.
We rise with dignity.
Our commitment to peace remains firm.
Our resolve to serve remains strong.
Our faith remains unbreakable.
We stand tall not because the storm was small, but because our foundation is solid.
Stronger.
Wiser.
Focused.
And we move forward!
Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, Member, House of Representatives, Ethiope East/Ethiope West Federal Constituency; Chairman, House Committee on NDDC
Delta APC blasts Oghara Chiefs
On its part, the leadership of APC in Delta State has descended on Ogharefe Council of Chiefs and Elders, accusing them of alleged partisanship for describing the Saturday’s Congress in the area as “near-war situation”.
A press statement issued by State Publicity Secretary, Valentine Onojeghuo reads:
Delta APC’s Strong Rebuttal to the Ogharefe Council of Chiefs and Elders(Oguedion R’ Ogharefe) on the Ethiope West Congress
The All Progressives Congress (APC), Delta State, categorically rejects and condemns the misleading, politically ill-motivated and deliberately distorted statement issued by the Ogharefe Council of Chiefs and Elders (Oguedion R’Ogharefe) regarding the Ethiope West Local Government Congress held on February 21, 2026.
For the avoidance of doubt, the Ethiope West Congress was peaceful, orderly and conducted strictly in accordance with the Constitution and guidelines of our great party as approved by the National Working Committee. The exercise was duly monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), and at no time was there any officially reported violence, organized attack, or breakdown of law and order attributable to the APC.
The sensational attempt by the Ogharefe Oguedion to describe the congress as a “near-war situation” is nothing short of political fiction and jaundiced imagination. Such reckless exaggeration is clearly designed to malign the image of our party and create unnecessary panic within Ethiope West Local Government Area. We will not allow baseless propaganda to substitute for facts.
Let it be unequivocally stated: the APC, as a constitutionally recognized political party in Nigeria, retains the exclusive right to determine the venue, structure and procedures of its internal activities. The decision to hold the congress at Ovade Community in Oghara was taken by the appropriate party organs based on administrative, logistical and security considerations. No external body – traditional or otherwise – has the authority to dictate, question, or veto internal party decisions.
Internal party congresses are not town hall meetings or community assemblies subject to external approval. They are structured administrative processes governed strictly by party rules. Any attempt to portray a routine accreditation process as institutional exclusion or orchestrated violence is dishonest and intentionally misleading and we accordingly deprecate it entirely in very strong terms.
Delta State APC does not condone violence in any form. No directive was issued to deny any legitimate member participation, aside from the standard accreditation requirements applicable to all delegates. The distortion of the refusal of some members of the party to comply with routine procedural accreditation, into allegations of systemic exclusion exposes the weakness of the claims being advanced as self serving.
More troubling, however, is the unmistakable partisan undertone of the Council’s statement. The tone, timing and content strongly suggest that the Ogharefe Council of Chiefs and Elders has allowed itself to be drawn into the murky waters of partisan politics. The statement bears the hallmarks of external influence and raises serious questions as to whether the Council’s present actions are not being teleguided or motivated by pecuniary benefits at the behest of third parties, with forlorn hopes to profit from this grossly misleading press statement by the Oguedion.
If traditional institutions allow themselves to become instruments in partisan struggles for financial or political gain – as the present case of the Ogharefe Council of Chiefs and Elders – they risk eroding the moral authority and neutrality that give them relevance and respect in the first place. Delta APC will not hesitate to call out such overreach.
Furthermore, we find it particularly instructive that no formal complaint was lodged through the party’s constitutionally established dispute resolution mechanisms before resorting to public dramatization. Responsible stakeholders pursue grievances through lawful channels – not through inflammatory press statements designed to generate controversy or public opprobrium against our party.
The APC in Delta State continues to respect traditional institutions and their historic role in preserving culture and communal harmony. However, respect is mutual. Political party administration is not within the jurisdiction of traditional councils. Any continued interference in internal party matters will be viewed for what it is – unwarranted intrusion into constitutionally protected political processes.
We urge members of the public to see through the attempt to manufacture crisis where none exists. The APC in Delta State remains united, disciplined and committed to strengthening its grassroots structures without intimidation, blackmail or external pressure.
We remain steadfast in our commitment to internal democracy, rule of law, peaceful political engagement, and responsible leadership. No amount of politically motivated misrepresentation will derail our focus.
APC Renewed Hope For M.O.R.E. Agenda.
Signed: Valentine Onojeghuo Esq. State Publicity Secretary, APC Delta State
23rd February, 2026.
*Source: Roma Communications & Advocate Ng
*The Ogharefe Council of Chiefs/Elders, addressing the press on the reported violence
