BY PATRICK MGBODO
APRIL 28 was never a particularly significant date in the calendar of Delta State. That was until 2025, when Governor Sheriff Oborevwori led the entire political machinery of the state into the All Progressives Congress (APC). Since then, the date has entered history books, marking a political realignment many have called nothing short of historic.
And rightly so. For the first time since Nigeria’s return to uninterrupted democracy in 1999, Delta State, the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) traditional fortress, shifted camp. It was a move few saw coming, and fewer still believed would endure. But history often remembers not the comfortable decisions, but the courageous ones.
Governor Oborevwori’s decision wasn’t just political arithmetic; it was strategic foresight. Like a sailor reading the signs of an approaching storm, he saw the waves rising and chose to steer Delta into safer waters rather than cling to a battered ship, praying the tempest would pass.
For years, Delta stood loyal to the PDP, a house that once bustled with confidence but slowly began to crack under the weight of internal discord. Attempts at reconciliation merely papered over the fissures. When the final tremors came, Oborevwori chose to move, not out of fear, but conviction.
His logic was simple yet profound: connect Delta to the centre. Since 2015, when the PDP lost power at the federal level, the state had existed like an orphan peering through a neighbour’s window, watching others dine at the table of national opportunity. Former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa himself admitted that much when he joined the movement at the Cenotaph, acknowledging how much more could have been achieved if Delta wasn’t isolated from federal power.
So, when Oborevwori led the state into the APC fold, many dismissed it as a gamble. Some saw betrayal; others called it political survival. But what time has revealed is that it was, in truth, visionary leadership.
Today, the dividends are unfolding in measurable ways. Deltans are beginning to taste the benefits of being connected to the “kitchen of Renewed Hope.” The First Lady’s empowerment programmes for women have touched lives across local governments. The Renewed Hope Hospital in Warri now stands as a symbol of collaboration and progress.
And then, there is the infrastructure drive, the kind Delta has not seen in years.
Just recently, Governor Oborevwori defied a heavy downpour to perform the groundbreaking ceremony of the ₦21.3 billion Ugbolu–Okpanam Road in Oshimili North. It wasn’t just another road project; it was a statement that governance is not about excuses but execution.
At 12 kilometres long, the road represents more than asphalt and concrete. It is a pathway to economic inclusion — linking Ugbolu and Okpanam, easing traffic congestion in Asaba, boosting agriculture, and connecting communities that once felt forgotten. The Governor’s words that day echoed the philosophy of his MORE Agenda; Meaningful Development, Opportunities for All, Realistic Reforms, and Enhanced Peace and Security.
In his own words: “Today’s groundbreaking marks another milestone in furtherance of this administration’s MORE Agenda… Our infrastructure plan is anchored on the prudent allocation of resources toward the delivery of reliable, high-quality, and durable road infrastructure across Delta State.”
Unlike most leaders who find comfort in promises, Oborevwori has earned a reputation for prompt action. Contractors are paid within five working days of certification, a discipline that has kept projects on track and eliminated the usual excuses of delay and variation.
As of today, the state owes no contractor, whether for new or inherited projects. That may sound like a bureaucratic detail, but in the world of governance, it’s a revolution.
At the Ugbolu event, traditional rulers, political heavyweights, and community leaders gathered not just to watch a Governor turn the soil, but to witness a metaphor — a state breaking new ground politically and developmentally.
Hon. Innocent Esewezie, the Oshimili North Chairman, captured the mood best when he said: “This road represents more than physical construction; it is a testament to the Governor’s transformative MORE Agenda.”
Indeed, April 28 will no longer be just another day. It will be remembered as the day Delta State chose a new direction; one driven not by sentiment, but by a pragmatic vision for connection, collaboration, and continuity.
History often favours those who dare to act when others hesitate. In leading Delta into the APC, Sheriff Oborevwori didn’t just change party colours; he changed the political destiny of a people.
And as the rains fell that day in Ugbolu, it wasn’t just water hitting the ground; it was a cleansing of old doubts, a baptism into a new chapter of Delta’s history.
