Video of Delta governor’s cabinet singing ‘on your mandate’ is old, says aide

A clip of Sheriff Oborevwori, the governor of Delta state, being serenaded with ‘on your mandate’, the political tune made popular by President Bola Tinubu, has gone viral.

The video has fuelled rumours that the governor, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is mulling a defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general election.

The footage shows Oborevwori smiling and clapping along as ‘on your mandate we shall stand’ from his cabinet members echoes through the hall.

The Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori and his cabinet memebers, singing “On Your Mandate” song. pic.twitter.com/q72ht4v2dO

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— Thεό Abu (@TheoAbuAgada) April 23, 2025

In another video making the round on social media, Ifeanyi Okowa, former governor of Delta and Oborevwori’s predecessor, appears to lend credence to the defection grapevine.

“Be assured that we will not go in the wrong direction; we will take the best direction, the best path for our people,” Okowa told his constituents at the meeting.

The comment has been interpreted by some political watchers as an attempt by the ex-governor to prepare his supporters for a political realignment.

However, an aide to Oborevwori told TheCable on condition of anonymity that the video is not recent.

“The video circulating is old. It was after the supreme court verdict affirming the mandate of His Excellency,” the aide said.

BALLS AND ENDORSEMENT

On April 15, Ose Anenih, a chieftain of the PDP, said governors in the party “do not have the balls” to take on Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.

In a post on X, Anenih described the PDP governors forum’s declaration that it would not join any merger or coalition, as “hubristic” and out of touch with political reality.

Also reacting to the resolution, Dele Momodu, the publisher of Ovation Magazine, alleged that PDP governors opposed to the coalition may secretly be working for Tinubu.

Speaking on Arise Television, Momodu said none of the leading opposition parties can singlehandedly unseat Tinubu.

Umo Eno, governor of Akwa Ibom and member of the PDP, recently endorsed Tinubu for a second term in office.