The Delta State chapter of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has been plunged into a deep internal crisis ahead of the 2027 general elections, with two factions laying claim to the party structure and producing parallel governorship candidates.
The division has resulted in the emergence of Dr Emmanuel Unuafe and Chief Great Ogboru as separate governorship candidates, alongside two state secretariats and rival executive committees, each insisting it represents the authentic leadership of the party in Delta State.
Last week, Dr Emmanuel Unuafe, a UK-based academic, emerged as governorship candidate of a faction of the party at a congress held at Okpanam Road by Midwifery Market Street, Asaba.
According to Engr Austin Okolie, chairman of the faction, Unuafe emerged through consensus and affirmation during the exercise.
However, a second faction of the ADC this week announced Chief Great Ogboru as its governorship candidate from a separate secretariat located on Direct Labour Road, Asaba.
Ogboru, a former governorship contender, was not physically present at the event where his candidacy was announced.
Chairman of the faction’s primary election committee, Prof. Patrick Sambo Williams, said Ogboru contested against Dr Unuafe in the exercise he supervised.
While officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) were said to have monitored the emergence of Unuafe, stakeholders noted that the commission would ultimately determine the authentic leadership of the party amid the ongoing factional dispute.
Party insiders say the parallel structures reflect a broader national crisis within the ADC, which is now affecting its state-level organisation in Delta State.
