ASABA — Fresh cracks have emerged within the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) over a planned solidarity walk in support of President Bola Tinubu’s second-term bid, with party loyalists accusing the state chairman, Elder Omeni Sobotie, of sabotaging the event.
The rally, championed by grassroots APC members led by Chief Emmanuel Adigwe, was intended as a show of unity and backing for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections. However, the state party leadership swiftly distanced itself from the event, declaring it “unauthorized and unsanctioned.”
In a strongly worded statement issued on August 4, 2025, and signed by the party’s Publicity Secretary, Valentine Onojeghuo, the Delta APC warned organizers against proceeding with the rally, threatening disciplinary action for what it described as an act of defiance.
“No individual or group has the right to organize or brand any activity as an official APC event without express approval from the party leadership. Any deviation will be interpreted as defiance and met with swift consequences,” the statement read.
The warning has triggered outrage among supporters of the rally, who accused Sobotie of deliberately frustrating pro-Tinubu efforts in the state.
Chuks Erhire, a prominent APC chieftain, described the chairman’s move as “a calculated attempt to undermine Tinubu’s growing popularity,” alleging that Sobotie is working in favor of opposition interests, particularly the Atiku Abubakar-backed African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“Sobotie is a mole,” Erhire said. “He has done nothing to build APC in Delta State, yet he wants to silence genuine supporters of the President. We see through his schemes, and we will not be intimidated.”
He called on the APC National Working Committee to launch an urgent investigation into what he termed Sobotie’s “divisive and anti-party conduct.”
Despite the threats, the rally organizers insist the solidarity walk will go ahead as planned.
“The walk will hold, whether the devil likes it or not,” Erhire declared. “We cannot allow ADC-style sabotage to cripple our efforts to reposition APC in Delta.”
The unfolding drama signals deeper tensions within the Delta APC as the party braces for a fierce contest in the lead-up to the 2027 general elections.
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