By Austin Ogwuda
Gov Sheriff Oborevwori’s defection, unavoidable gamble, says ex Commissioner Patrick Muobaghare
There is growing apprehension over the actual person presently occupying driver’s seat with the nomenclature, Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, South South, Nigeria following the recent mass defection and collapsing of People’s Democratic Party’s structures.
The Townhall gathered that whilst the State Publicity Secretary , APC Delta State, Barrister Valentine Onojeghuo wrote a terse message whereby clarifying that following Governor Sheriff Oborevwori defection from PDP to APC that the governor became the undisputed leader of the Party (APC), that assertion didn’t go down well with some Party bigwigs on the ground before the governor joined them.
Presently, these two men although civil in their utterances are are operating from afar differently but asserting authority as in charge at the same time.
Obviously, there is no gainsaying that Arenyeka takes instructions from the governor.
A report surfaced few days ago, purportedly claiming that the former Delta State Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Solomon Arenyeka directed new defectors to the All Progressives Congress (APC) not to register at their respective wards.
But Arenyeka, in a statement signed by his Media Assistant, Sunday Apah denied the report flatly saying, “I wish to categorically state that I neither authorized, approved, nor instructed any such action. These allegations are entirely false and baseless.
“I wholeheartedly commend the leadership of the All Progressives Congress in Delta State, particularly our State Chairman, Elder Omeni Sobotie, for his decisive directive mandating the immediate and unconditional registration of all newly defected members from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) across the State.
“The bold move is not only timely but also a clear testament to the new spirit of inclusion, unity and political maturity that now defines our great party under the able leadership of His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori.
“In light of this directive, I call on all party faithful, stakeholders and supporters—especially those who recently joined the APC during the historic political realignment of April 28, 2025—to proceed without delay to their respective wards to collect their membership cards and complete the registration process”, the statement added.
Political observers view the present circumstances as chaotic as there can be only one Chairman per time.
“How do you expect the governor to hand over the PDP structures from Ward to Local Government to State which he pulled from PDP to Sobotie, think about it now or just drive Arenyeka under the bus, no, that is why Arenyeka is still exercising power, it is a confusion, actually”, says a very senior member of governor’s cabinet who pleaded for anonymity.
Gov Sheriff Oborevwori’s defection, unavoidable gamble, says ex Commissioner Patrick Muobaghare
Meantime, a top chieftain of PDP in Delta State, former Commissioner, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, pointed out that the recent mass defection led by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori appeared to be driven by fear rather than strategy, particularly regarding the governorship ticket.
Voiceferous Muoboghare, according to Al-Jazeera cautioned that fear of the 2027 elections should not have been a reason for Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to change camp, noting that the governor already has won the hearts of many Deltans through his hands-on supervision of projects and insistence on strict compliance with specifications.
“If I attempt to campaign against him (governor) now, the people will lynch me”, in view of practical achievements on the ground.
He advised the governor to consolidate his achievements within the PDP rather than gamble on an uncertain future in the APC.
Muobaghare further told Al-Jazeera that as an individual, he has made up his mind about where his votes will go for both the presidency and governorship as he condemned the ongoing political maneuvers as selfish and misleading to the people, stressing that personal interests have overtaken the collective good in Delta’s political environment.
