Defection: Eselemo Urges APC to Reject PDP’s Liabilities in Delta
Emma Okonji and Agnes Ekebuike
A prominent member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, Prince Collins Eselemo, has warned against the recent defection of the Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori and others to the party.
Eselemo who spoke yesterday during an interview on ARISE News Channel, the broadcast arm of THISDAY Newspaper, said the defection of prominent members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State into the APC fold, should not be accepted without scrutiny and accountability.
Eselemo, a longstanding APC loyalist and veteran of Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggles, described the influx of PDP members into the APC as a “transition from the fatigue of despair to the buoyancy of fragile democracy,” but warned that many of the new entrants carry heavy political baggage.
“They are coming to APC like an octopus. We cannot determine their political bearing,” he said, urging that those who have previously undermined the APC must not be granted blanket acceptance.
Citing personal grievances, Eselemo accused Governor Oborevwori of targeting APC members during his tenure as a PDP leader. “Our lands were grabbed, compensation not paid, properties demolished,” he alleged.
He called on the national leadership of the APC, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to acknowledge and address the injustices allegedly suffered by party members in Delta State.
The interview also highlighted a growing internal rift within the APC Delta State chapter, particularly between party figures such as Festus Keyamo and Ovie Omo-Agege. Eselemo criticised what he described as Keyamo’s “bi-location” between his ministerial role and state-level political leadership, warning that such dual roles contribute to a crisis of direction and accountability.
While acknowledging that Nigeria’s constitution permits freedom of association and political migration, Eselemo stressed that APC must not become a dumping ground for “political liabilities.
He referenced Keyamo’s public endorsement of Governor Oborevwori and questioned the logic of following someone he views as having undermined the APC in the past.
Eselemo’s remarks also touched on the legacy of the pro-democracy struggle, invoking the sacrifices made by activists, journalists, and politicians, many of whom were detained or exiled under military regimes. He emphasised that the current political gains of the APC must not come at the cost of forgetting those sacrifices.
Eselemo called on President Tinubu to reappraise the values and loyalty that brought the APC to power, asserting that embracing defectors without accountability could fracture the party’s moral foundation. “Sheriff is inconsequential politically,” he said, adding that if accepted, he must first right the wrongs.
