The Delta State Commissioner for Works (Highways and Urban Roads), Comrade Reuben Izeze, has rejected claims that a consensus candidate has emerged within the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Ughelli South State Constituency ahead of the 2027 Delta State House of Assembly elections.

In a strongly worded statement on Wednesday, Izeze described the claims as misleading and accused certain political actors of attempting to blackmail party members through what he termed the “Oga say” narrative.

The commissioner, who represented Ughelli South in the Delta State House of Assembly between 2015 and 2023, recounted his emergence as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in 2014, noting that he was duly selected through a consensus arrangement endorsed by party leaders and delegates at Otughievwen.

According to him, six out of seven aspirants agreed to step down in the interest of unity, while one of the contenders, Festus Eseoghene Utuama, was absent at the venue and later rejected the consensus outcome.

Izeze further alleged that attempts were made shortly after the exercise to substitute his name as the PDP candidate, with claims that a separate primary election had been conducted.

He said the controversy led to a prolonged legal battle initiated by Utuama, which lasted three years and was eventually resolved by the Supreme Court in April 2018 in his favour.

He also recalled that efforts by prominent leaders, including Ifeanyi Okowa, Edwin Clark and Moses Taiga, to resolve the dispute amicably were unsuccessful.

The commissioner expressed surprise that the same individual who previously opposed consensus arrangements is now being presented as a consensus candidate within the APC for the 2027 race.

“I find it contradictory and deceptive that someone who vehemently rejected consensus and pursued litigation up to the Supreme Court is now being marketed under the same arrangement,” Izeze stated.

He dismissed insinuations that any political authority had endorsed such a move, insisting that no directive had been issued to that effect.

Izeze urged APC members in Ughelli South to disregard what he described as propaganda and encouraged all aspirants to pursue their ambitions through lawful and democratic processes.

While reiterating that he has no intention of contesting in the forthcoming election, the commissioner emphasized the need for fairness, internal democracy and respect for due process in the selection of candidates.