By Chesa Chesa
State Executive Committee (SEC) members and notable chieftains of the party in Delta State have strongly condemned a petition written to the party headquarters by the state chairman, Omeni Sobotie, seeking the removal of the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Barr. Felix Morka.
In a letter addressed to the APC National Chairman, Umar Ganduje, and copied to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the Delta APC leaders dissociated themselves from the petition authored by Sobotie and which accused Morka of several infractions.
The petition against Morka, dated March 17, 2025, accused the APC spokesperson of gross abuse of office, particularly in relation to his statements concerning the establishment of the Delta APC Leadership Council. The petition also alleged that Morka unilaterally declared Senator Ovie Omo-Agege as the leader of the party in the state.
However, while describing the petition as “grossly misconceived, petty, reckless, and baseless”, the APC leaders said Sobotie unilaterally authored and submitted the petition without the approval of the SEC, even as the allegations contained therein were full of lies meant to discredit a “fine and highly distinguished Deltan serving the nation admirably.”
They explained that Morka’s statement on the Delta APC Leadership Council was based on the official position of the National Working Committee (NWC), which had not approved the formation of the council, and that after searching through media reports, they also found no evidence that Morka declared Omo-Agege as the leader of the party on television.
The SEC members and other leaders of the party in the state thereafter accused Sobotie of incompetence, high-handedness, and financial compromise with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State.
They alleged that since assuming office as APC state chairman, Sobotie had failed to convene SEC meetings, refused to consult party leaders on major decisions, and acted unilaterally in a dictatorial fashion, all of which have plunged the Delta APC into a state of disarray, enabling “impostors and unauthorized elements” to undermine the party’s credibility.
They further declared that “the damage that his continued stay in office is inflicting on the party is incalculable and may become irremediable if nothing is done to constrain Sobotie’s nefarious activities and damaging inactions”.
The APC leaders reaffirmed their confidence in Felix Morka, praising his professionalism and commitment to the party’s ideals. They urged the NWC to ignore the petition against him, dismissing it as a “blatant attempt to silence a courageous voice in defense of the party and President Bola Tinubu’s administration.”
Furthermore, they called on the NWC to take disciplinary action against Sobotie by suspending him as state chairman, arguing that his continued leadership posed a threat to the party’s unity and stability in Delta State.
“If the party leadership fails to act, the integrity and direction of the Delta State APC could be permanently compromised,” they warned.
