The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State has dismissed a ‘misleading and mischievous’ newspaper publication alleging a leadership tussle within the party in the State.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, the party’s state publicity secretary, Valentine Onojeghuo, said the report was authored by one Felix Igbekoyi and published by Leadership newspapers, following the Unity Meeting of APC in Delta Central senatorial district held last Sunday.
The party also exonerated Senator Ede Dafinone, representing Delta Central, from the allegation in the report that he expressed disappointment with organizers of the meeting because it did not favour him.
According to Onojeghuo, the report is not only baseless and fictitious, it is also a wide figment of the imagination of the writer “who, rather than adhere to the established principles of objective, factual and ethical journalism, chose instead to indulge in reckless conjecture and deliberate misinformation.
“The publication, riddled with falsehoods, half-truths and distortions, represents a clear departure from the journalistic responsibility and integrity that is expected of any journalist who is worth their mettle.”
Setting the record straight, the party spokesman declared that Delta APC is fully united, focused and solidly aligned behind the leadership of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori “whose defection to the APC was momentous and widely celebrated across the political landscape of the state.””
Hee described as reckless and malicious the report’s attempt to paint a picture of division within the party, and stressed that there is no faction or splinter group within Delta APC.
“Elder Omeni Sobotie remains the duly recognized and legitimately elected chairman of the party in Delta State. From the ward level to the State Executive Committee, there exists only one APC structure”, he stated while clarifying that Governor Oborevwori “is a fully registered and bona fide member of the All Progressives Congress, having validly completed his registration upon his formal defection from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), alongside other notable political heavyweights”.
“Hence, the adoption of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori as the consensus sole candidate of the APC in Delta Central during the Unity Meeting held on Sunday, 9th June 2025, was done in accordance with the provisions of the APC Constitution, which permits and encourages consensus candidacy”, he clarified.
Onojeghuo concluded that: “At no point during the Unity Meeting did the distinguished Senator Ede Dafinone express the purported discontent falsely attributed to him by the writer. This claim is a deliberate falsehood designed to malign the senator’s reputation and undermine the credibility of the meeting’s outcome. We challenge the writer and his sponsors to present any credible evidence to back this ridiculous assertion”.
