By Ovie Okpare
Stakeholders and chieftains of the All Progressives Congress from Patani/Bomadi Federal Constituency in Delta State on Tuesday stormed the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja to protest against the alleged move to return the member representing the constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Nicholas Mutu, for an eighth term.
The protesters accused Mutu of plotting to manipulate the forthcoming APC primaries in his favour and urged the party leadership to reject any attempt to impose him on the constituency again.
Mutu, a former Chairman of the House Committee on NDDC, has represented the constituency since 1999 and is seeking re-election for another term in 2027, which would amount to 28 years in the Green Chamber.
Addressing journalists during the protest, APC chieftain and leader from the area, Mayor Timinepere Ogobiri, appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the national leadership of the party to stop what he described as “injustice” against the people of Patani/Bomadi Federal Constituency.
Ogobiri said the people were tired of what he termed Mutu’s “abysmal representation” after nearly three decades in office.
“We are here to appeal to the national leadership of the APC to please do justice to the abysmal representation of Patani/Bomadi Federal Constituency for 28 whole years by Hon. Nicholas Mutu.
“It’s enough. We sent him there, and we are saying 28 years is enough. Let another person from Patani Local Government Area represent us,” he said.
The APC chieftain argued that since Mutu is from Bomadi LGA, it was the turn of Patani LGA to produce the next House of Representatives candidate.
According to him, APC, as a progressive party, should not encourage one individual to remain in office for 28 years.
“APC is a progressive party, and one person holding onto power for 28 years is not progressive. We need change,” Ogobiri added.
Another stakeholder, Comrade Chris Anthony, also accused forces within the political system of attempting to impose Mutu on the people once again.
“There’s an ugly scenario happening in Patani/Bomadi Federal Constituency where one individual has remained in the House of Representatives since 1999 and is still seeking re-election for the eighth tenure,” Anthony said.
He alleged that despite Mutu’s long stay in the National Assembly, the constituency had not witnessed meaningful development.
“What is more worrisome is that his longevity in the National Assembly has not attracted anything meaningful to the people he represents,” he stated.
Anthony warned that any attempt to impose Mutu on the constituency could negatively affect APC’s electoral fortunes in the area during the 2027 general elections.
“Our appeal is that they should not impose Nicholas Mutu on the people of Patani/Bomadi Federal Constituency again. If they do, APC risks losing about 90 per cent of votes from the constituency,” he added.
The protesters urged the APC leadership to allow all aspirants contesting for the House of Representatives seat to test their popularity through a transparent primary election.
Efforts to reach Mutu for comments on the allegations were unsuccessful as repeated calls to his phone line failed to connect as of the time of filing this report.
