Delta: APC chieftain faults Waive, Dafinone’s endorsement for 2027

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State and former House of Representatives aspirant, Professor (Dr.) Rukevwe Akpedeye-Ugwumba, has condemned 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 a key APC stakeholder in Delta State, in a statement, 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, spat 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 prior to the governor’s defection 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 geopolitical balance.

On the senatorial race, the Delta APC chieftain 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. “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 not slaves to accept perpetual marginalisation. It’s time for true representation,” she added.

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 the APC in the Delta Central Senatorial District.

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