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By our Reporter

The simmering crisis tearing through the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has erupted into an open confrontation, with aggrieved “legacy” members issuing a blunt warning of looming political backlash against Governor Sheriff Oborevwori  and his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa.

Operating under the banner of the Delta State APC Coalition for Equity, the old guard accused recent defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party of attempting to hijack the party structure and shut out founding members ahead of the 2027 elections.

Speaking after a high-level meeting at his country home in Ute-Ogbeje, Ika North East LGA, the Coalition’s Convener, Alex Ikpeazu, did not mince words, describing the situation as an unprecedented political invasion.

According to him, “never in history” has a group entered an existing political structure only to displace those who built it from the ground up. He accused the governor’s camp of flagrantly sidelining legacy members in defiance of an agreed power-sharing formula.

At the heart of the raging dispute is the controversial 60/40 arrangement, reportedly approved by President Bola Tinubu, which allocates 60 percent of party structure to legacy APC members and 40 percent to new entrants. The coalition insists the agreement is being brazenly violated.

“What is happening now is outright exclusion,” Ikpeazu declared, warning that any attempt to deny them their stake in the party would come at a steep political cost.

“There will be consequences. If they think they can rob us of our rights and expect us to applaud them, they are making a grave mistake,” he said, hinting at a potential revolt that could reshape the state’s political landscape ahead of 2027.

In a strongly worded communiqué signed by key coalition leaders across Delta’s three senatorial districts, the group laid out a series of demands it says are non-negotiable for peace.

Among them is the immediate and transparent implementation of the 60/40 formula, with legacy members retaining full control over their allocated positions. The coalition also insisted that the state party chairmanship must remain in the hands of a bona fide legacy member, warning against what it described as creeping imposition by defectors.

The group further dismissed claims by the party’s national leadership that internal disputes had been resolved, insisting that multiple court cases, including those challenging the legitimacy of the state chairmanship process, are still pending.

In a damning indictment of the current structure, the coalition alleged that most ward chairmanship positions across the state have been handed to PDP defectors, citing Ika North East where all 14 ward chairmen are reportedly from the opposition stock.

Beyond grievances, the coalition made its political weight clear, vowing to mobilize against any candidate imposed on the party and warning that attempts to sideline its members could trigger “unhealthy electoral consequences.”

Despite the escalating tensions, the group reaffirmed its loyalty to President Tinubu and pledged support for his re-election, even as it demanded urgent intervention from the national leadership to prevent a full-blown implosion in Delta APC.

With threats hardening and trust collapsing, the unfolding power struggle signals a party on the brink, where reconciliation is fast giving way to open political warfare.