•••Says we are no slaves, this is a desperate power grab

*As tension soars, PDP defectors to APC considering return to PDP

By Matthias Ogbagah

UGHELLI – AHEAD of the 2027 general elections, a political pressure group in Delta State, “Delta Integrity Group For Good Governance (DIG3) has strongly condemned the endorsement of the duo of a member representing Delta Central Senatorial District at the national Red Chamber, Sen. Ede Dafinone and a member representing Ughelli North, Ughelli South, and Udu federal constituency at the Green Chamber, Rev. Francis Ejiroghene Waive for the 2027 elections by the U3 Forum.

Speaking to Rainbow Newspaper, the national coordinator of DIG3, Chief Ekwetafia Jacob Ojaurhobo, berated Olorogun John Oguma and members of U3, a group of “new APC members” — referring to the U3 Forum, a former PDP pressure group for Ughelli North, Ughelli South, and Udu federal constituency.

According to DIG3 national coordinator, Chief Ekwetafia Jacob Ojaurhobo said the purported endorsement of the duo of Sen. Ede Dafinone and Rev. Francis Waive as the sole candidate of APC for 2027 elections is a selfish interest and a calculative attempt to undermine the collective political interest of the Urhobo people.

While urging Deltans and Nigerians as a whole not to take the personal interest of Olorogun John Oguma seriously, he said Olorogun John Oguma, the Udu of Olomu kingdom, has been known for political jobber.

“I appealed to the good conscience people of Urhobo nation to ignore Olorogun John Oguma and disregard the purported endorsement of Ede Dafinone and Rev. Francis Waive for Senate and House of Representatives come 2027 general elections orchestrated by Olorogun John Oguma.

“Oguma is serially known for this business; he is always a political parasite for his selfish interest to milk suspected politicians in the state, particularly in Ughelli/Udu federal constituency”.

Meanwhile, an All Progressives Congress, APC, chieftain, and former House of Representatives aspirant, Professor (Dr.) Rukevwe Akpedeye-Ugwumba in a fiery and uncompromising statement, has slammed the recent endorsement of Senator Ede Dafinone and Rev. Francis Waive for the 2027 elections by the U3 Forum, describing it as a “desperate bid for power” and a “brazen disregard for party principles and Urhobo tradition.”

Akpedeye-Ugwumba, a professor of Family Medicine in Canada who served as the Special Adviser to Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan on Health EXCO and remains a key APC stakeholder in Delta State, warned that “the acts of treachery” committed by both men during and after the 2023 elections “will not go unpunished.”

“These acts of treachery should not and will not go unpunished; they will be primaried and defeated,” she declared.

She condemned the endorsement as unconstitutional and unjust, noting that it came from a group of “new APC members” — referring to the U3 Forum, a former PDP pressure group. The endorsement, she said, spit in the face of loyal APC members who toiled to secure the party’s victories in 2023.
“Both men solicited and accepted such endorsements… after having betrayed the trust of APC members who worked tirelessly for their victories,” she noted, citing Waive’s public endorsement of Sheriff Oborevwori for governor in 2027 before the governor defected to APC and Dafinone’s alleged covert backing of Oborevwori during the 2023 elections.

Akpedeye-Ugwumba also pointed to historical imbalances in legislative representation to bolster her case against Waive’s re-election bid, especially in the Ughelli North/Ughelli South/Udu Federal Constituency.

“By 2027, Ughelli South would have served 16 years, Ughelli North 8 years, and Udu just 4 years. Rev. Waive’s bid only deepens this glaring inequality,” she explained, stressing that it violates Article 20(vi) of the APC Constitution, which enshrines geo-political balance.

On the senatorial race, she argued that Senator Dafinone’s potential renomination would be “a strategic blunder” for the APC, considering he hails from the same federal constituency as Governor Oborevwori.

“Fielding both the Governor and the Senator from Okpe/Sapele/Uvwie for the governorship and senate is unconscionable and ungodly” given that Okpe Kingdom is just one of the 27 Urhobo Kingdoms that make up Delta Central Senatorial District. “Are the other Urhobos slaves?” she asked pointedly. “This goes against the Urhobo tradition and values” she added.

Akpedeye-Ugwumba commended the precedent set by Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, who stepped aside in 2023 to allow a peaceful zoning arrangement, urging Dafinone to follow that example for equity’s sake.

“Dafinone and Waive’s desperation… speaks volumes about their questionable intentions and utter lack of integrity,” she added. “This blatant disregard for established norms raises serious concerns about their commitment to fairness and justice.”

The professor called on aspirants from Udu, Ughelli North, and Ethiope to rise and challenge the “unjust domination,” insisting the time had come for true representation.

“We are no slaves to accept perpetual marginalization. It’s time for true representation,” she added.

The bold and unequivocal statement will likely send shockwaves through Delta APC’s power structure as the countdown to 2027 begins in earnest — with equity, zoning, and internal party justice now taking center stage.
Prof. Akpedeye-Ugwumba, the only female aspirant from Ughelli North to have contested for the Federal House under APC in 2019, has long been a vocal advocate for grassroots inclusivity and political fairness. Her intervention signals a brewing battle over the heart and future of Delta APC in Delta Central Senatorial District.

At the time of filling this report, tension soared as scores of PDP defectors to the All Progressives Congress, APC, considering returning their former political, PDP, to exercise their franchise come 2027 general elections in the state.