Ahead of the 2027 general elections in Nigeria, the realignment of political forces has begun in earnest across the nation. In the midst of the realignment, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, formerly acclaimed as the largest political party in Africa, has continued to hemorrhage and squander it fortunes on internecine infantile squabbles.
While the PDP appears marooned in internal conflicts, the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has remained the greatest beneficiary of the PDP’s apparent loss of focus. As the realignment continues to gain traction, the APC has emerged as the beautiful bride most politicians eyeing certain positions in 2027 see as a fertile ground to realize their quest for political office.
The South-South and South-East geopolitical zones used to be the stronghold of the PDP. In fact years back, for the APC to even win a councillorship election in the two zones used to be as fruitless as pushing a camel through the eye of a needle. But all that has since changed since the All Progressive Congress took the center stage of the nation’s political scene in 2015.
In the South-South zone, it would be politically naïve for anyone not to expect remarkable upsets in the political party standings in the states of the zone after the 2027 elections. It is given that the two parties that are more visible in the zone are the APC and PDP, but recent developments may have placed the APC far ahead of the PDP with most notable politicians gravitating towards the broom party.
Delta State appears to be the spot where the political whirlwind of 2027 in the zone may start, with the prospect of uprooting the current occupant of the state Government House, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori. Few weeks ago, there were rumours of an impending defection of the governor to the APC, which was dismissed by the governor’s aides. Even as it was dismissed as untrue, it was an indication too that the governor may have become rattled by the burgeoning influence of APC in the state.
In Nigeria, the father figure of certain politicians and their influence cannot be easily discountenanced. That is where the problem of Gov. Oborevwori of Delta may be traced, as they in PDP tried to undermine the towering influence of former Governor James Ibori, the ogidigbogbo of Delta politics in the scheme of things in the PDP.
Recently, the former governor’s daughter in the House of Representatives, Rep. Ehhiatake Ibori-Suenu dumped the PDP and embraced the APC. Since Rep. Ibori-Suenu’s defection, other notable politicians from the state who were members of the PDP have followed suit, apparently after interpreting where the political pendulum of 2027 would swing to.
Influential Senator Ned Nwoko representing Delta North in the red chambers was one of them. His defection to the APC has continued to give PDP faithful in the state sleepless nights as the fortunes of the party in the state continue to get dimmer.
What’s more, the followers of Dr. Goodnews Agbi, Special Adviser to Gov. Oborevwori on Projects Monitoring/ Audit could not even influence his followers who recently dumped the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, and defected to the APC to join him in the government of PDP where he is currently serving. The special adviser, a member of the NNPP watched as Mr. Omojutubor Vincent led hundreds of NNPP members from Owhelogbo ward 5 in Isoko North Local Government Area to the APC, instead of wooing them to the party of his principal, the governor.
To underscore the rising profile of the APC in Delta State, former Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege recently mocked the PDP in the state and directed his snout to Governor Oborevwori and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, saying while the APC in the state would be kind to admit hordes of PDP members making moves to join the APC, the likes of Sheriff and Okowa would not be considered for admission into the party.
Further celebrating the perceived popularity of the APC in Delta, a former member of the PDP and now a chieftain of the APC in Okpe Isoko, Enifoghale Oyede noted that the influx of members from the PDP to APC in the state is a clear indication that Deltans are angry with the way they are being governed by the PDP led state government, hence the spate of defections. “I was in PDP for years, but left and I don’t want to talk about the reason some of us left the PDP. But I am glad some of them have seen why we left and they are coming to join us in the APC,” Oyede said.
The rising profile of the APC in the zone is further attributed to the dividends of democracy wrought by the Tinubu administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the area. Recently, stakeholders from a wide spectrum of the Niger Delta in a letter to President Tinubu lauded his achievements in the region through the massive transformation the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has brought across the region.
The stakeholders, which include various ethnic nationalities, professional bodies, and elder statesmen amongst others, noted that the current leadership of the NDDC is pioneering excellence.
“We write as leaders and representatives of ethnic nationalities, critical stakeholders, and members of professional bodies across the Niger Delta to express our gratitude for the renewed peace in our region.
This change is transforming the negative narratives of the past concerning our area.
“We sincerely thank you, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as well as the leadership and members of the National Assembly, and other key policymakers for their steadfast support for the Niger Delta through the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC),” the letter reads in part.
They acknowledged how President Tinubu’s visionary leadership and unwavering commitment to the sustainable development of the Niger Delta has significantly enhanced the operations of the NDDC.
According to them, the vision has also enabled the commission to fulfill its mandate more effectively, and been repositioned as a strategic vehicle.
“The president’s dedication to empowering the people of the Niger Delta through initiatives that prioritize skill acquisition, educational support, and entrepreneurial development through NDDC have not only transformed lives but have also restored confidence in the Commission’s activities,” they noted.
Read also: Sen. Nwoko finally announces his defection to APC in Senate
Similarly, the immediate past governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Bayelsa State, Udengs Eradiri, while giving reasons for joining the All Progressives Congress (APC), said President Bola Tinubu is behind all the projects in his Agudiama/Ekpetiama community in Yenagoa Local Government Area. He said besides his community, almost all the communities in the Niger Delta had benefitted from the light-up project and other interventionist programmes of the NDDC.
He said: “In my community we have water project done by the APC government, shore protection being done by the APC government, solar light and one kilometre road. The APC government has also promised to carry out other projects like corpers’ lodge and renovation of our secondary school.
“The best thing to do to thank such leadership is to join them and work for the success of the party. For me President Tinubu is one man I have admired since I was young and this will provide me the opportunity to learn from him and work with him to ensure that he succeeds.
“In 2006, when we attended the PRONACO meetings in Lagos, he was one man who believed in a restructured Nigeria. I supported the PRONACO Movement and partook in it. I think that this is the best time to work with him. The Tinubu government gave us head of service, Ministry of Petroleum and the NDDC. His government has ensured the light up of the Niger Delta which has reduced crime to its barest minimum.
“Tinubu government is behind the Tantita project that has seen many young people in the Niger Delta, get engaged because of the pipeline surveillance that has ensured the growth in the production of oil and reduction of crime in the Niger Delta. There is no other way to say thank you than to join the government that is doing well.
“The government is talking about tax reforms that will go a long way to bring about seriousness in governance and curb laziness. It will bring innovation and creativity as states and local government will begin to work harder and such will provide jobs for young people and engender growth and development.
“I see that the government has a lot to offer Nigeria and I won’t be an onlooker. I want to participate and contribute to it. I want to be part of those that participated in the revival and reorganization of the country,” Eradiri posited.
For now, the APC is in control of only two states in the zone, Cross River and Edo States. Observers predict that when the chips are down after the 2027 general elections, the party may likely have garnered more states and become dominant in the zone.
