ASABA/Nigeria: Former Delta State Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Delta North, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has urged party leaders to convert the political realignment that brought Delta’s major political figures into the APC into electoral support in the 2027 general elections.
Okowa made the call in Asaba on Thursday during the inauguration of the Delta State APC Campaign Council, stressing that the party’s prospects would depend on effective grassroots mobilisation, sustained engagement with voters and unity among its members.
He said political rallies and public demonstrations of support would not, on their own, guarantee victory, urging party stakeholders to take the campaign directly to communities, wards and polling units across the state.
In a message posted on his social media handles after the APC stakeholders’ meeting, the former governor called on party leaders, women and youths to put aside their differences and work towards a common electoral objective.
“Elections are won not by rallies alone, but by the strength of our grassroots mobilisation, the quality of our engagement with the people and our ability to work together towards a common goal,” Okowa said.
He maintained that every stakeholder had a responsibility to communicate the party’s message to voters, adding that preparations for the elections required immediate and coordinated action.
Okowa also acknowledged the leadership of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori in the state APC, urging party members to combine their political ambitions with disciplined organisation and sustained engagement with the electorate.
He called on the party to work towards the election of President Bola Tinubu, Oborevwori and other APC candidates in 2027, warning that the task ahead required unity, hard work and a willingness to reach voters beyond political gatherings.
Speaking on behalf of Delta North at the campaign council’s inauguration, Okowa said expectations were high following the movement of prominent political leaders from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC in April 2025.
He argued that the scale of the political realignment had raised expectations among party supporters and placed a responsibility on the campaign organisation to demonstrate its strength at the ballot box.
The former governor urged the campaign council to translate the expanded political platform into effective mobilisation across Delta’s three senatorial districts, rather than assume that the defections would automatically guarantee electoral success.
Governor Oborevwori, who inaugurated the council, also emphasised grassroots engagement, directing members to take the APC’s message to market women, farmers, traders, youths and other groups across the state.
He unveiled “MORE Plus” as the theme of his re-election campaign, linking it to his administration’s M.O.R.E Agenda and the policies and achievements of the Tinubu-led Federal Government.
The campaign council is chaired by Oborevwori, with former Delta South senator James Manager serving as Director-General. The structure brings together political leaders and party stakeholders expected to coordinate campaign activities ahead of the 2027 elections.
Other leaders who spoke at the event included Deputy Governor Monday Onyeme, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development Festus Keyamo, Delta APC Chairman Solomon Arenyeka, Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, who represented Delta Central, former Secretary to the State Government Ovuozourie Macaulay, who spoke for Delta South, and Stella Okotete.
Their remarks centred on party unity, mobilisation and the need to communicate the APC’s policy direction and record in government to the electorate.
With the campaign council inaugurated, the APC faces the task of building an effective grassroots structure capable of translating its political alliances into votes. Whether the party’s expanded presence in Delta State will produce the electoral results its leaders anticipate will ultimately be determined by voters in 2027.
