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Papachi dismisses governor’s gesture as political calculation, alleges APC is using workers’ welfare to buy electoral loyalty

By Our Reporter

A political controversy is brewing in Delta State following Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s signing of the 13th Month Salary Law, 2026, with a concerned Deltan, Okay Papachi, dismissing the governor’s gesture as a politically motivated move aimed at securing the support of civil servants ahead of the 2027 governorship election.

Papachi, in a commentary titled “APC Delta State: Civil Servants as Target to Win Election,” accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of turning civil servants into an electoral target, arguing that the timing of the new salary policy raises questions about the administration’s real intentions.

He maintained that the approval, rather than being an entirely altruistic gesture to improve workers’ welfare, was part of what he described as a calculated political strategy by an administration under pressure to secure a second term.

His criticism comes amid efforts by the governor’s media team and APC supporters in the state to project the 13th month salary initiative as a major achievement of the Oborevwori administration, with appeals reportedly being made to civil servants to reciprocate the gesture by supporting the governor’s re-election in 2027.

Oborevwori had, on Wednesday, signed five bills into law at the Executive Council Chambers, Government House, Asaba, including the Thirteenth Month Salary Law, which he said was designed to boost workers’ morale, reward their contributions and improve productivity.

The governor described the legislation as part of his administration’s commitment to reforms under the MORE Agenda, adding that the new laws would strengthen public institutions, improve service delivery and promote economic development.

However, taking issue with the political narrative surrounding the salary law, Papachi argued that the APC’s alleged concentration on civil servants as a potential voting bloc was misplaced, considering the much larger population of other categories of voters in the state.

He cited an estimated figure of 60,000 civil servants in Delta State against approximately 3,525,988 registered voters, as contained in the figures he attributed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), arguing that civil servants alone could not determine the outcome of the 2027 election.

According to him, farmers, market women, traders, artisans, students and unemployed youths constitute a significant section of the electorate whose economic experiences and political choices cannot be overlooked.

“Even if APC succeeds in manipulating civil servants, they cannot manipulate the rest of Deltans who are feeling the heat of bad governance,” he declared.

Papachi also linked the 13th month salary approval to what he described as a sudden wave of political generosity by the ruling party, recalling reported empowerment distributions of ₦50,000 to beneficiaries in different parts of the state.

He alleged that the timing of these gestures reflected an administration increasingly anxious about its electoral prospects, insisting that financial incentives and welfare interventions would not automatically translate into popular support.

“The sudden generosity and reckless spending is a clear body language of a party that knows it has been rejected. You cannot buy the conscience of a people who have suffered for years with tokenism,” he wrote.

The social media commentator further argued that Deltans were more interested in sustainable economic opportunities, industrial development and improved living conditions than what he characterised as election-season handouts and political publicity.

“The era of using stomach infrastructure to win election is over. Deltans are wiser. They want jobs, not handouts. They want industries, not propaganda,” he stated.

Projecting the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) as the political alternative, Papachi expressed confidence that the party could dislodge the APC in the state in 2027.

He specifically commended Deacon Chris Iyovwaye and Mr Godwin Ossai, whom he credited with taking up the challenge of rescuing Delta from what he described as bad governance and resetting the state for prosperity.

The controversy has consequently brought into focus the political implications of the Oborevwori administration’s new welfare policy, particularly whether the 13th month salary should be viewed strictly as a workers’ welfare intervention or as an opportunity for the ruling party to cultivate electoral goodwill ahead of the next governorship election.

While the governor has presented the legislation as a reward for workers’ contributions and a means of improving productivity, Papachi’s intervention underscores the emerging political contest over how the initiative is being interpreted and marketed to the Delta electorate.

His central argument is that civil servants, like every other category of voters, should assess the government not merely by an additional month’s salary but by its overall performance in addressing unemployment, economic hardship, infrastructure deficits and the broader development needs of the state.