By Ifeanyi Olannye

The All Progressives Congress, (APC) in Delta has commissioned 250 support groups for grassroots mobilisation across the 25 Local Government Areas of the state ahead of the 2027 General Elections.

In a speech at the meeting in Asaba, on Monday, the state party Chairman, Chief Solomon Arenyeka, charged the groups to take the party’s message directly to the electorate across the state.

He directed them to immediately intensify mobilisation, identify and consolidate their support base, while ensuring that their activities were aligned with the party’s structure and electoral strategy.

Arenyeka described the support groups as a critical component of the party’s mobilisation machinery.

According to him, their numerical strength and grassroots’ networks can significantly influence the party’s performance in 2027.

He said the meeting was designed to bring the groups under a more coordinated framework, eliminate duplication of efforts and ensure that their activities complemented the established structures of the party.

He disclosed that the party would soon unveil its campaign structure for the 2027 elections with a dedicated directorate expected to coordinate the activities of the various support groups.

Arenyeka also charged the groups to move beyond meetings and declarations to sustained grassroots engagements, arguing that electoral victories are often determined by the strength of a party’s organisation at the grassroots.

He contended that the experience of the 2023 presidential election demonstrated the importance of political mobilisation, pointing out that APC was able to defeat the then ruling-PDP at the federal level through effective organisation and mobilisation.

He urged the support groups to recognise the enormity of the task ahead and deploy their networks towards expanding the party’s reach across the state.

Also speaking, the State Organising Secretary, Mr Emmanuel Egbabor, said the groups’ registration and recognition by the party were only the beginning of their responsibilities.

Egbabor described the groups as partners in APC’s political project and not parallel structures, warning that their activities must strengthen, rather than undermine the party’s established structures.

He charged them to take the policies and programmes of the party to the grassroots, engage directly with voters and feed the party leadership with information on the challenges and concerns of their communities.

He also urged them to commence serious mobilisation well ahead of the election, including identifying supporters, educating voters on the electoral process, and maintaining regular contact with their constituencies.

He warned them against the circulation of rumours, fake news and unverified information, charging them to ensure that whatever information they disseminated in the name of APC was accurate and properly communicated.

The interface, which brought together representatives of the various support groups, provided a platform for the party leadership to define responsibilities and form a coordinated grassroots strategy ahead of the 2027 elections.