In a fiery critique laced with indignation, Prince Collins Eselemo has denounced what he calls a shameful plot to impose political “tormentors” on loyal members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State.
He warned that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his “cohorts” must not be welcomed into the party without first confronting the injustices of their past.
Eselemo, a respected pro-democracy activist, declared that the governor’s rumored defection to the APC is a betrayal of Delta APC loyalists who endured political persecution at the hands of the current administration.
“I was punished simply for being an APC member,” Eselemo said, accusing Governor Oborevwori of confiscating his land and selectively compensating others due to partisan bias.
“Until this injustice is rectified, there can be no room for Oborevwori in our party.”
Dismissing claims that President Bola Tinubu needs Oborevwori’s support to secure electoral victory in Delta, Eselemo said loyalty and integrity must trump opportunistic alliances.
“Freedom of association isn’t a free pass into leadership,” he asserted. “Not for men with stained political records.”
He took aim at key APC figures, including Festus Keyamo and Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, blaming them for the leadership vacuum and deepening factionalism in the party.
“We are starved of vision. None of the current actors has the moral spine or clean hands to unite this party,” he said.
While acknowledging Omo-Agege’s mobilization prowess, Eselemo warned against allowing any single actor to unilaterally dictate the party’s direction or sanitize defectors with questionable pasts.
In a particularly scathing rebuke of Keyamo’s statement that “wherever Sheriff goes, APC must follow,” Eselemo thundered: “Does he mean I, Collins Eselemo, who fought beside Gani Fawehinmi and Femi Falana for democracy, should now follow Sheriff into a swamp of betrayal and corruption? Never.”
He labeled the attempted absorption of Oborevwori as morally bankrupt and politically suicidal, insisting that the governor must first account for his role in PDP’s financial scandals, including an alleged N450 million party debt.
Drawing on the sacrifices made during the Abacha dictatorship, Eselemo reminded APC leaders of the price paid by democracy advocates like himself and media icons now heading institutions like Arise TV.
“We were imprisoned for truth. We won’t trade that legacy for political crumbs.”
