The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, House of Representatives candidate for Ughelli/Udu Federal Constituency, Dr. Obiuwevbi Ominimini, has accused Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, and the All Progressives Congress, APC, of sponsoring thugs who allegedly attacked members of the party during a campaign rally in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area.

The incident reportedly occurred during a campaign procession tagged the ‘1,000,000-Man March for NDC Candidates, 5-over-5’.

Speaking after the attack, Ominimini alleged that armed thugs disrupted the peaceful march and assaulted party supporters.

According to him, the attack was a deliberate attempt to intimidate NDC members and discourage support for the party ahead of the elections.

“We hold Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and the APC responsible for mobilising thugs to attack our members during the peaceful 1,000,000-Man March in Effurun,” Ominimini said.

He described the incident as an assault on democracy and called on security agencies to investigate the matter and bring those responsible to justice.

The NDC candidate maintained that despite the attack, party members remained committed to their campaign activities and would not be intimidated.

Ominimini urged supporters to remain peaceful and law-abiding, stressing that the party would continue to mobilise voters across Delta State.

As of the time of filing this report, the Delta State Government and the APC had not officially responded to the allegations.

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and former chairman of the Labour Party in Cross River State, Austine Ibok, has defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Ibok, who announced his defection on Friday, also directed his supporters across the 196 wards in the state’s 18 local government areas to collapse their political structures into the APC.

He said his decision followed consultations with his family, political associates and supporters, as well as what he described as prevailing political realities and the interest of the state.

The former opposition chieftain cited what he described as a lack of cohesion, equity, justice, fairness and sincerity within his former party, particularly over zoning and other leadership decisions.

Ibok said his decision to support the Otu administration was based on what he described as its record in security, infrastructure, efforts to recover Cross River’s oil wells and the development of the Bakassi Deep Seaport Project.

“Our support is driven by performance, political reality, and the collective desire to secure a brighter future for Cross River State through effective and purposeful governance,” he said.