•Tinubu and APC logo
The controversial directive by the Delta State Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Elder Omeni Sobotie, halting a planned solidarity walk in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second-term ambition is causing confusion among the party leaders in the state.
The rally, organised by grassroots loyalists of the party under the leadership of Hon. Chief Emmanuel Adigwe, was billed as a show of unity and support for President Tinubu ahead of the 2027 polls, reports Daily Independent.
However, in a swift move that has now triggered a political firestorm, the state party leadership issued a strongly worded statement disowning the event and threatening disciplinary action against its organisers.
Signed by the APC State Publicity Secretary, Valentine Onojeghuo, dated August 4, 2025, the statement described the planned rally as “unauthorised and unsanctioned,” warning that any further action by the organisers would be met with strict party sanctions.
“No individual or group has the right to organise 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.
But the ban has not gone down well with the rally organisers and loyalists of President Tinubu, who are accusing Sobotie of deliberately sabotaging the President’s political base in Delta.
Leading the charge, Hon. Chuks Erhire slammed the chairman’s action as “a calculated attempt to undermine Tinubu’s growing popularity” and alleged that Sobotie is working for opposition interests within the Atiku Abubakar-led African Democratic Congress (ADC).
“Sobotie is a mole. He has done nothing to build the APC in Delta state, yet he wants to stop genuine supporters from showing solidarity with our President. We see through his schemes, and we will not be intimidated.”
Erhire maintained that the solidarity walk will proceed as planned, warning that loyal APC foot soldiers would not be silenced by “anti-Tinubu elements hiding in the party.
“The walk will hold, whether the devil likes it or not. We cannot allow ADC-style sabotage to cripple our efforts to reposition APC in Delta,” he declared.
He also called on the APC National Working Committee to urgently investigate Sobotie’s alleged activities, which he claimed were not only divisive but also designed to weaken Tinubu’s chances in the state.
