By George Urhie
By every permutation, calculation, or mind game applied, 2027 is the inescapable season the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) will lose its hegemony over Delta State. Predictably, more than any concerned individual or group, the state ruling party, since 1999, sees this looming political doom staring its leadership and increasingly shrinking followers in the face.
It’s further glaring that the All Progressives Congress (APC), the only visible opposition in the state, is the platform to uproot the vestiges of a Delta PDP hegemony that has long overstayed its welcome. Not even the anti-party shenanigans of Hon. Francis Waive and all other “worms” hired in a failed bid to destabilize Delta APC can derail the unstoppable force to end PDP rule in the state.
This isn’t some partisan rant. The trajectory towards ending PDP rule in Delta is directly measurable, with steady and impactful results. It started in 2011 when quintessential Chief Pius Ewherido broke the jinx of PDP’s permanent occupation of Delta Central Senate seat with an opposition ticket they thought was impossible.
Then, inimitable Obarisi Ovie Omo-Agege brought consolidation, emerging as Deputy President of the 9th Senate and making history in Delta politics. He strategically expanded his sphere of influence, sustaining the takeover of Delta Central and successfully annexing Delta South district to the APC family by 2023.
Today, all three Delta senatorial seats stand strong on the APC platform, thanks to the strategic leadership of Sen. Ned Nwoko of Delta North. He, along with his supporters, has become increasingly disenchanted with the Delta PDP, which they believe has devolved into promoting mediocrity over excellence, undermining the interests of the state and its people.
Across party lines, Deltans are increasingly frustrated with the PDP’s deliberate strategy of installing charlatans who are easily manipulated into diverting public funds into the private coffers of greedy leaders. This explains why, despite receiving substantial revenue, we fail to deliver projects and services that match the expected outcomes.
Instead, we’ve become a state marred by substandard projects everywhere, with the incumbent governor ironically overseeing these efforts as Commissioner for Shoddy Projects Monitoring, while pretending to wield a cutlass in a misguided effort to deliver quality projects.
The APC acknowledges the importance of rewarding individuals who have made significant sacrifices to keep the party in power. However, it is adamant that the reward system should prioritize merit and competence over unmerited privilege. To this end, individuals deserving recognition should be appointed to roles that align with their skills, expertise, and proven track record.
As the 2027 elections approach, it is heartening to see the APC poised to reclaim the Delta political landscape from the PDP, which has been marred by years of regressive leadership. With Obarisi Omo-Agege at the forefront of this effort, the APC is well-positioned to bring about a new era of leadership and development in Delta State.
It’s laughable that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori believes he can simply buy his way into the Delta APC to extend his tenure in office. Unfortunately, he’s found an unwitting accomplice in Waive, a mole within the Delta APC, who’s helping him infiltrate the opposition.
The question on everyone’s mind is: why is Oborevwori jumping ship from the struggling PDP to join the APC, which he’s long considered a rival? Hasn’t the PDP been touting Delta as a PDP stronghold, claiming the APC has no presence here?
Among the various attempts by the PDP to convince the APC to accept Oborevwori, ranging from lavish praise of President Tinubu to courting the First Lady, Senator Remi Tinubu, it is Waive’s brazen and anti-party efforts to persuade Oborevwori to defect to the APC and run as the sole candidate that have garnered the most attention from the governor, aides, and Delta PDP.
The way the Delta PDP and Oborevwori celebrated Waive’s unguarded endorsement of an unfit governor, justifying such self-serving recklessness, implies that the governor views an APC ticket as his only lifeline come 2027.
The fundamental question remains: why is Oborevwori bent on abandoning the PDP he is helping to sink to now being eager to join the APC, his perceived arch-nemesis come 2027? Hasn’t the PDP been touting that Delta is a solidly PDP state, with no presence for the APC? Why the sudden about-face, driven by fear, to join a party he previously dismissed?
Another pressing question is what significance this move holds, and what exactly Waive and other APC collaborators are offering Governor Sheriff Oborewori, given his track record. His limited value to the Delta APC seems to be primarily utilizing the State Treasury to fund party activities, similar to how his predecessor funded the PDP presidential campaign during his failed vice presidential bid.
If the APC allows this, it will disappoint Deltans who have supported the party as a viable alternative to the PDP’s 26 years of corrupt and ineffective governance. Their response would be a massive protest vote against the APC, seeing it as a betrayal and a disregard for Deltans’ desire for genuine change.
Oborevwori should take heed: the Delta APC welcomes defectors from his sinking ship, but it prioritizes genuine leaders who can transform the state, not charlatans. The APC will not welcome arrowheads of PDP’s arrested development of Delta state over the years.
Those who believe the Delta APC is divided and disorganized are free to hold onto that misconception. Ultimately, the PDP’s grip on Delta is crumbling, and its demise is both imminent and inescapable – a reality that Oborevwori and the PDP cannot change.
