Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State has said it would be “evil” for Deltans to vote against President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, citing the president’s personal and family ties to the state.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday, Oborevwori argued that President Bola Tinubu remains the only leading presidential contender with a direct affiliation to Delta State through the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu, who has ancestral ties to the state.
Among candidates expected in the 2027 race, the governor said Tinubu stands out because of that connection, insisting Deltans should view his candidacy as a “family affair.”
“The man is an in-law here, and it would be evil to vote against your in-law. It’s a family affair. In the South-South, the people in Delta are saying this is their own,” Oborevwori said.
He also claimed that support for the president has been strengthened by the First Lady’s influence in the state, particularly among the Itsekiri ethnic group, adding that political alignment in Delta is increasingly shaped by these relationships.
“The First Lady is holding the state strong, and no Itsekiri person will vote against Tinubu. No Urhobo man will because their son is the governor,” he added.
Beyond family and ethnic considerations, the governor also defended the Tinubu administration’s economic policies, saying recent reforms have improved revenue allocation to states, including Delta.
Oborevwori said, “The confidence we have is in the people. His reforms and programmes are working very well. Sometimes when I commission projects and tell people we have money, it’s because of the reforms. If they are not working, we won’t get money.”
The remarks come months after First Lady Oluremi Tinubu was conferred with a traditional title in the Warri Kingdom during a ceremony in February 2026, an event widely seen as reinforcing cultural ties between the presidency and parts of Delta State.
The comments are expected to stir debate, particularly over the role of ethnic and family affiliations in electoral politics ahead of the 2027 general election.
