By Egufe Yafugborhi
The National Anthem had just ended inside the PTI Conference Centre Hall, Effurun, last Sunday. Outside, at the bar and barbecue joint behind, bottles were already flying.
By the time the echoes died, Senior Special Assistant to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori on Protocol, Simon Mudi, better known as Temple, lay dripping in blood, his head smashed repeatedly with bottles.
Uvwie Local Government (LG) Chairman, Tony Ofoni and Commissioner for Works, Rueben Izeze, were also caught in the melee. Scores of APC faithful left with injuries.
The meeting was convened to heal the party but at the end, the feud between two of the governor’s aides exploded into public view while the party tried to deny it.
Our meeting, not our fight — APC
Inside the hall, Delta Central APC leaders including Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, Senator Ede Dafinone, Chief Ighoyota Amori, Stella Okotete, and LG chairmen had gathered for a stakeholders’ meeting to resolve differences instigated by divisive primaries and present a united front for 2027. The meeting ended peacefully. But outside the hall, it did not. Before guests would step out, a clash erupted at the sit-out bar behind the hall — where many party faithful who were denied entry had waited for their leaders.
Temple, who moments before had manned the conference hall door to screen accredited invitees to the meeting, was the worst victim. Witnesses say bottles were repeatedly smashed on his head.
From Okwagbe To Efurun: Feud in the making
Sources say the violence was not spontaneous but the latest chapter in a running battle between Mudi and Izeze, both from Ughievwen sub-clan of Ughelli South LGA.
The animosity, according to an APC chieftain, “became intense during consultations for the APC primary for Ughelli South House of Assembly. Mudi led leaders pushing for a consensus ticket for incumbent, Festus Utuama, claiming it was a directive of the Governor.” Izeze, leading those backing Emuobor Gbagi, fired back that the governor never gave such a directive and accused Mudi of “using the name of Oborevwori to tell a lie.” Ofoni, Uvwie LG Chairman, said the feud first boiled over “at Okwagbe during the funeral of the governor’s aide, Sunny Kotor” where the two allegedly clashed “in front of the Governor.”
At PTI that fateful Sunday, Ofoni said he tried to settle the feud saying, “Temple and Izeze almost had a confrontation because of seats but I settled it before Izeze went outside of the meeting hall to make calls.” Minutes later, during the closing prayer, he (Ofoni) was told that they were fighting outside.
“I ran outside, behold, two boys were lying down and another was running with blood dripping,” Ofoni said.
Nursing his wounds at his Ekakpamre country home, Temple narrated, “I don’t know how a commissioner can set up another commissioner. On that day, he came with over 50 boys. I was on my way to eat with my watchmen. My associate called me that he saw a signal that they had brought a lot of boys to attack me. Immediately I dropped the call and saw about 12 boys who came to attack me.
“Before I could say anything, they started breaking bottles everywhere, stabbing me everywhere. Everyone was running. I couldn’t even defend myself. It was when they saw the crowd coming that they stopped. It was a terrible experience. I just thank God for saving my life. As I am talking to you, my head was stitched in 11 different places.”
Denial by the party
48 hours after, Delta APC’s response focused on optics. State Publicity Secretary, Valentine Onojeghuo, called media reports “reckless, false and sensational distortion.” He insisted that the meeting “was peaceful and concluded without any disruption” and that a viral video of chaos came “from another location within the expansive PTI complex. It is misleading and irresponsible to associate those unrelated scenes with the APC stakeholders’ meeting,” he said.
Social media advocate, Zik Gbemre, in his reaction said, “Police were there watching like spectators as one thug before another smashed beer bottles on helpless Temple’s head and other victims. The real meeting may have ended without disruption, but it’s being clever by half to attempt to insinuate that the deadly fight involved a bunch of strangers unknown to the party.
“Izeze and Temple can only deceive themselves. Nobody needs their validation to know the PTI mayhem was another ugly manifestation of their lingering feud. Even the governor knows. They fought in front of him in Okwagbe earlier. It is appalling that in the desperation to separate the party from the mayhem, the party muted names of key actors and victims. Delta APC showed the party’s name is far more valued than lives of members who were almost killed.”
The Government steps in, police mute
The State Government has however condemned the attack. Commissioner for Works and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, said the “cruel attacks on Simon Mudi were unacceptable” and directed security agencies “to identify, arrest and prosecute those responsible.”
But questions lingered about security. Ofoni confirmed that a legion of police from Ebrumede, Ekpan Divisions, Effurun Area Command and JTF were stationed in front of the meeting hall.
According to him, “to them, they came to guard an APC meeting. Anyone killed outside was not their responsibility.” Days after, the Delta Police Command is yet to speak.
Elders attempt to douse fire
Wednesday, Ughievwen leaders met at Chief Patrick Fovie’s residence in Ughevwughe. They called for “immediate cessation of all forms of hostility” and set up a peace committee headed by Chief Fovie to “interface with the Governor to temper justice with mercy.”
Chief Adelabu Bodjor, former Delta Central Chairman of the APC said both parties had agreed to resolve issues “amicably.”
A unity meeting that exposed disunity
The PTI Center meeting had all the right faces. It was broadcast live. The speeches were about cohesion. But behind the hall, bottles, blood and bruised egos told another story — of a party struggling to manage the ambitions of its own. As Mudi recuperates and investigations begin, one reality is clear: in Delta APC, the fight for 2027 may have already started and it is being fought among the governor’s own.
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