A major rift has erupted within the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the State Executive Committee (SEC) has dismissed a petition filed by the State Chairman, Elder Omeni Sobotie, against the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Barr. Felix Morka.
The dismissal was contained in a strongly worded letter jointly signed by the Delta State APC deputy chairman Francis Obigbor, State Secretary Surveyor Peter Akarogbe and several LGA chairmen, addressed to the APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, and copied to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the SEC labeled Sobotie’s petition as “grossly misconceived, petty, reckless” and called for his immediate suspension.
The petition in question, authored by Sobotie on March 17, 2025, accused Morka of gross abuse of office and demanded his removal. However, SEC members condemned the petition, asserting that it was filed without their knowledge or approval.
“The petition was authored unilaterally by Sobotie without reference to, and without the approval of, the State Executive Committee (SEC), on whose behalf he claims to have submitted the disturbing and dishonorable petition,” the SEC stated.
Sobotie’s allegations against Morka centered on two issues. First, he claimed that Morka issued a press statement clarifying that the APC National Working Committee (NWC) did not approve the creation of a Delta State APC Leadership Council.
The SEC, however, defended Morka’s statement, arguing that the council “is not an organ created or recognized under the Party’s constitution, and, in any event, was never discussed or approved by the SEC.”
The second allegation involved an alleged statement by Morka in a television interview, declaring Senator Ovie Omo-Agege as the leader of the Delta APC. The SEC refuted this claim, stating, “We have diligently searched for any television news reports where the alleged statement declaring Senator Ovie Omo-Agege as leader of the Party in Delta was made by the NPS. We did not find any such television news report. The allegation is untenable, as it has no factual basis to begin with.”
The SEC further accused Sobotie of working against the interests of the party, questioning his opposition to Senator Omo-Agege’s leadership role despite the senator’s contributions to the party’s success in Delta State.
“Clearly, Sobotie is committed to serving interests different from the interest of our Party,” the SEC declared.
The committee expressed full confidence in Morka’s leadership, condemning Sobotie’s actions as an attempt to undermine the party’s stability.
“We categorically condemn and dissociate ourselves from the petition. The allegations are baseless and constitute a blatant attempt to silence a courageous voice in defense of the Party and President Bola Tinubu’s administration.”
The SEC further alleged that Sobotie had violated the party’s constitution by providing false information, engaging in unauthorized publicity of party disputes, and fostering ties with the opposition.
“We unequivocally condemn Elder Sobotie’s cozy relationship with the Delta State government, controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). This illicit association has severely undermined our party’s integrity, exposing us to political manipulation and sabotage.”
Citing Sobotie’s failure to convene SEC and State Working Committee (SWC) meetings, the letter described his leadership as “an unmitigated disaster” and accused him of “consistently proving incapable of discharging the functions of his office.”
The SEC members stated that they had initially planned to wait until the next congress to address concerns over Sobotie’s leadership but now found his continued stay in office too damaging to ignore.
“We strongly urge the National Working Committee (NWC) to take immediate disciplinary action by suspending Sobotie from his position as state chairman,” the SEC stated.
With this move, the internal crisis within the Delta APC appears far from over, as the party leadership at the national level is now faced with deciding Sobotie’s fate.
