By Rita Daniel
Sapele, Delta State —The Sapele Political Movement for Tinubu and Sheriff 2027, led by Okakuro Austin Arieja with Hon. Goodluck Arimitan as Coordinator, staged a solidarity rally across major streets in Sapele on Friday, 1st May 2026, urging residents to support an inclusive leadership ahead of the 2027 election.
The rally, which held under a loud and colourful mobilisation drive, was aimed at sensitising the public on the need to back Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, the performing and inclusive Governor of Delta State, while also intensifying the campaign against what the group described as persistent marginalisation of grassroots political actors.
According to the organisers, the political pressure group is a homegrown force comprising both indigenes and non-indigenes in Sapele Local Government Area, formed on the premise of promoting inclusive governance and strengthening the political relevance of active grassroots mobilisers who, they noted, have remained central to serial electoral victories in the area.
They said the group came together to demonstrate their strength as APC faithfuls drawn from all eleven (11) wards in Sapele, insisting that grassroots participation must not be truncated by “cabal” influence when it comes to decision-making and political selections.
The rally was tagged “THE MOTHER OF ALL RALLIES”, a name participants described as fitting, given the scale of turnout and the determination of members to make their voices heard on issues affecting governance, representation and appointments in Sapele.
Speaking to the mammoth crowd, Okakuro Austin Arieja explained that the movement’s first responsibility is to call on all citizens to support Governor Sheriff Oborevwori come 2027 election, pointing to what he described as visible evidence of performance across Delta State and promising that more developmental impact would come as the days unfold.
Arieja also urged voters to prepare early for the upcoming elections, noting that elections are won by votes cast by those at the grassroots—insisting that political aspirants should be challenged to return to the people for consultation rather than assume popularity without community endorsement.
He maintained that the movement is not about “one person” but about collective liberation, stressing that political offices should no longer be rotated among a few individuals in the local government. He argued that the people must decide who delivers political dividends for Sapele.
The movement leader further alleged that while grassroots mobilisers contribute actively during campaigns, they are often excluded from the decision-making arena afterward, a situation he said has weakened fulfilment of promises made to the electorate during electioneering seasons.
Supporting the agitation, Hon. Goodluck Arimitan stated that political impunity in the local government must stop, citing his personal experience as an example. He said although he is from Ward 4, the ward of the local government chairman, he was not considered when congress was held to pick delegates—despite his role as a grassroots actor responsible for electoral victories in the area.
Goodluck also stated that it was only the current governor who later “fished him out” and gave him an appointment as an Executive Assistant to the Governor, stressing that similar stories exist in many wards where hardworking grassroots stakeholders are sidelined until political winds change.
Concluding, the group emphasised that their struggle is anchored on the people iberation, wider participation, and opening the political horizon of Sapele Local Government Area, insisting that appointments from state and beyond should not be confined to the interest of a handful, but must reflect capability across wards.
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