EFFURUN/Nigeria: The Forum of Presidents-General of the 24 Urhobo Kingdoms has declared support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and other candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The position was announced on Wednesday at the forum’s secretariat in Effurun during a visit by a delegation representing Governor Oborevwori.
The delegation was led by the Deputy Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Arthur Akpowowo, and included the Chairman of the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue, Hon. Solomon Igrakpata, and the State Director of Protocol, Chief Sunday Onoriode.
Chairman of the Presidents-General forum, Chief Monday Arawore, said the body considered cooperation with the government in power necessary to advance the interests of its constituent communities and improve their access to government programmes.
Arawore said the forum understood the Governor’s decision to align Delta State with the political leadership at the federal level, which he said was intended to strengthen the relationship between the state and the Federal Government and create opportunities for development.
He said the forum was consequently supporting the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu and the MORE Agenda of Governor Oborevwori, while urging both administrations to prioritise the welfare and development of the people.
The chairman also linked the forum’s position to the earlier intervention by the Forum of Urhobo Traditional Rulers, which had endorsed Oborevwori for a second term and called for unity and peace among Urhobo communities ahead of the 2027 election.
Speaking on behalf of the governor, Akpowowo described the Presidents-General’s declaration as a reaffirmation of the position earlier expressed by Urhobo traditional rulers.
He said the traditional rulers had taken a position on the governorship question and that the Presidents-General had now publicly affirmed it.
The Deputy Speaker further said the political support extended to Tinubu and other APC candidates was connected to the Governor’s decision to work with the Federal Government and expectations of stronger federal-state cooperation.
Chief Sunday Onoriode said the declaration by the Presidents-General covered APC candidates contesting various elective positions in Urhobo communities in the 2027 elections.
He described the development as an indication of the position taken by the forum, although the declaration represents the position of the Presidents-General and does not, in itself, determine how individual voters will cast their ballots.
Igrakpata, who also spoke at the meeting, said the Presidents-General had taken note of what he described as the policies and programmes of both the Federal Government and the Delta State administration.
He particularly referenced the Tinubu administration’s policies and the Oborevwori administration’s MORE Agenda, saying the forum’s declaration reinforced the earlier position of Urhobo traditional rulers.
The endorsement comes against the backdrop of an increasingly active political debate in Delta ahead of the 2027 elections. The earlier endorsement of Oborevwori by Urhobo traditional rulers has drawn criticism from some Urhobo voices, including Prof. Igho Natufe, who questioned the involvement of traditional institutions in partisan politics.
The latest declaration by the Presidents-General therefore adds another position from a major Urhobo community leadership forum to the ongoing political discussions ahead of the elections.
