Broken Promises in Burutu: How 20 PDP Aspirants Were Asked to Step Down for ‘Imposed’ Chairman Takeme

By Micheal Chukwuebuka, Lagos

The political atmosphere in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State has grown tense again, as 20 former PDP chairmanship aspirants of the 2023/2024 council election have openly accused the incumbent Council Chairman, Hon. Julius Takeme, of betrayal, neglect and greed.

An investigation by this newspaper shows that the aspirants, who voluntarily stepped down for Takeme following party intervention, now claim they have been abandoned and shortchanged.

How Takeme Emerged Without Contesting

Findings revealed that Chief Julius Takeme did not participate in the PDP primaries for Burutu LGA. At the time, he was serving as the Delta South Zonal Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and he presided over the declaration ceremony of the 20 aspirants.

However, while the aspirants were waiting for the date and venue of the primaries, information emerged that Takeme had been handpicked and imposed as the council chairman by Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.

The announcement triggered anger and protests within the party. Several aspirants threatened to challenge both Takeme and the governor in court but were prevailed upon by the leadership of the PDP then.

The Bon Hotel Peace Deal

To douse the tension, party leaders convened an emergency peace meeting at Bon Hotel, Ekpan-Warri immediately about two days after the Takeme’s imposition announcement was made in 2024.

The meeting was chaired by Chief Solomon Funkekeme, Senior Policy Adviser to the Governor. In attendance were the Governor’s Private Secretary, Barr. Mrs. Lyna Aliya-Ochulor, Hon. Julius Pondi, Member representing Burutu Federal Constituency, Hon. Asupa Foreteta, former member of the Delta State House of Assembly, Chief Hon. Emmanuel Amgbaduba, former Commissioner for Oil and Gas, and other top PDP stakeholders.

During the meeting, the leaders appealed to the 20 aspirants to step down for Takeme. They gave assurances that the governor would compensate them and that Chairman Takeme would carry them along to help them recover expenses incurred during their campaigns.

Based on these promises, the aspirants agreed to “sacrifice for the peace of the party” and withdrew from the race.

Two Years After: “Nothing For Us”

Over two years after Takeme’s inauguration as Chairman of Burutu LGA, our investigation shows that none of the promises have been fulfilled.

Multiple sources told our correspondent that the chairman became unreachable. He allegedly stopped picking calls and refused to hold meetings with the aggrieved aspirants.

After several attempts, one meeting was eventually held. At that meeting, Takeme reportedly apologised and promised to facilitate appointments for them through the governor. He also pledged to pay each of the 20 aspirants N100,000 monthly and to award them contracts as part of the “recovery package.”

A former aspirant who spoke on condition of anonymity described the pledge as “Awolowo’s promise of good governance” — beautiful in speech but empty in action.
“He paid the N100,000 for a few months and then stopped. Till today, we have not seen any contract. The money itself cannot do anything in this economy, but we accepted it in good faith. It turned out to be a political scam,” the source said.

Worst Chairman In Burutu’s History

Further inquiries with other former aspirants painted a grim picture of the current administration in Burutu LGA.

They described Hon. Takeme as “the worst chairman in the history of Burutu Council” in terms of accountability, development, and relationship with stakeholders.

“The council is receiving allocations. There is enough money to run projects and oversight. But nothing is happening. He is heartless and not fit for public office,” another source alleged.

On whether they have met with Governor Sheriff Oborevwori since stepping down, the aspirants said no meeting has been held.
“Since we stepped down based on the appeal by our leaders, the governor has not called us. The chairman too has gone silent” one of them stated.

Something Big Is Coming

When asked about their next line of action, a source disclosed that the former aspirants and their leaders are planning a major political move that will “shock” the chairman and the party.

They are also calling on Governor Oborevwori to urgently intervene and address the grievances of aspirants across Delta State, especially in LGAs where candidates were allegedly imposed.

“You cannot ask people to sacrifice and then abandon them. If the governor means well for the party, he should create room to engage us,” the source said.

However, efforts by our correspondent to reach out to the council Chairman Takeme for comment proved abortive. As of the time of filing this report, he had not responded to calls and text messages forwarded to him at 11:55am Thursday 31, 2026.