By Ovasa Ogaga,
Member representing Ughelli North, Ughelli South and Udu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Francis Waive, has raised alarm over the sharp and steady decline in voter strength in Delta Central, warning that the slump threatens the region’s long-standing political dominance.
Speaking at the Delta Central APC Leaders and Stakeholders Meeting held at the PTI Conference Centre, Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area, Waive said Delta Central’s electoral weight has dropped from “about 60 percent of total votes in Delta State when the state was created in 1991” to “about 30 percent” today—despite the absence of war, natural disaster or pandemic. “Something is going wrong,” he cautioned.
Waive, Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, lamented that some local government areas that once produced over 50,000 votes now struggle to deliver significantly lower figures. He warned that if current leaders do not act urgently, the region’s population and political influence will continue to shrink. “Another census is coming, but even more urgent is the ongoing voter registration,” he stressed.
He urged APC leaders to take responsibility for reversing the decline by aggressively mobilising eligible voters in every ward and community. According to him, every young adult aged 18 and above must be encouraged to register, while indigenes residing outside the state should be persuaded to return home to register. Failure to act now, he warned, could cause future generations to label today’s leaders as “political eunuchs,” a stigma he said must be avoided at all costs.
Waive also underscored the direct correlation between political power and voter numbers, noting that even electoral manipulation has limits. “Even if you want to rig an election, you can only rig to the extent of the number of registered voters you have. If your unit has only 100 registered voters, then 100 is your maximum,” he said.
He insisted that the strength of APC’s presidential and governorship victories in Delta Central will determine the district’s influence in both Asaba and Abuja. While expressing confidence in the APC’s prospects, Waive cautioned that without massive voter mobilisation, Delta Central risks losing its pride of place in state and national politics.
