A widening crack within the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress has erupted into open confrontation, as rival blocs conducted parallel ward congresses across the state—each claiming legitimacy and control of the party’s grassroots machinery.
At the centre of the unfolding struggle is a powerful coalition aligned with former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege, former Delta State Governor James Ibori, and Senator Ned Nwoko.
The bloc, which describes itself as the custodian of the “legacy APC structure,” announced the formation of parallel ward executives following what it called systematic exclusion from a congress process overseen by another emerging power centre.
That opposing camp is linked to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, whose political machinery recently crossed over from the Peoples Democratic Party into the APC after Oborevwori’s defection.
What might have been an internal transition has instead evolved into a fierce contest for structural dominance.
Leaders of the Delta North APC Coalition for Equity said the congress conducted by the Oborevwori-aligned bloc sidelined longstanding members who built the party before the governor’s entry.
According to coalition officials, consensus lists for ward executives were drafted without consulting established ward leaders.
They alleged that nomination forms purchased by aspirants were withheld, while documents were allegedly completed privately for loyalists of the newer bloc.
At a joint briefing, coalition figures insisted that the Omo-Agege–Ibori–Nwoko alliance represents the overwhelming majority of the party’s original ward and local government leadership.
They argued that their parallel congress was not an act of rebellion, but a corrective step aimed at preserving internal democracy and party constitutional order.
Tensions quickly spilled beyond rhetoric into formal petitions from affected wards.
In Ward 8, Umuebu, Ukwuani Local Government Area, party leaders rejected what they described as an unauthorised alteration of a harmonised executive list adopted at a duly convened meeting on February 8, 2026.
Signatories to the petition claimed that the Ward Chairman, working with another party figure, substituted and inserted names into the agreed list without consultation.
They declared the altered submission null and void and demanded recognition of the unanimously endorsed version.
A similar protest surfaced in Ward 6, Ndokwa East Local Government Area, where a party member alleged that a consensus process conducted in line with local directives was later overturned.
The petitioner claimed that after being selected as Ward Secretary during a fresh, leader-supervised process, he was removed from the final list upon arrival in Asaba—allegedly due to perceived opposition to Okowa’s senatorial ambitions.
The petition questioned whether certain interests now stand above party rules and warned that selective enforcement of directives risks eroding unity.
Adding weight to the dissent, several ward chairmen across Delta North Senatorial District issued a formal protest copied to Senator Ned Nwoko.
They expressed concern that the consensus model, as implemented, has created widespread unease among longstanding members.
The chairmen recalled their mobilisation efforts during the 2023 presidential election in support of President Bola Tinubu, cautioning that sidelining established grassroots operatives could weaken party cohesion ahead of future contests.
They urged the suspension of the current congress process in Delta North and called for a transparent, constitutionally compliant framework accommodating both legacy members and new entrants.
Sources within the Oborevwori–Okowa bloc maintained that their congress arrangements were consensus-driven and in line with state party directives.
Supporters argued that the integration of new entrants into party leadership structures is both natural and necessary following a major political realignment.
They contend that resistance from sections of the old guard reflects discomfort with shifting power dynamics rather than constitutional violations.
The unfolding crisis carries echoes of Delta’s recent political history.
Sustained internal fragmentation and unresolved rivalries once weakened the state structure of the PDP, gradually hollowing out its cohesion before its eventual decline.
Ironically, many of the actors who navigated those earlier internal battles now occupy influential positions within the APC’s evolving structure in Delta.
Political observers warn that without swift intervention from the party’s national leadership, the APC risks replicating the same pattern—parallel loyalties, competing command structures, and deepening mistrust at the grassroots.
Delta’s ruling party now stands at a decisive moment. The outcome of this structural contest will determine not only who controls ward executives, but who defines the party’s direction ahead of future elections.
If reconciliation mechanisms are activated quickly, the APC may consolidate its expanded base. If not, what began as an integration of forces could harden into a prolonged factional struggle—one capable of reshaping Delta’s political landscape once again.
