The 2027 African Democratic Congress (ADC) senatorial candidate for Delta South, Dr Austin Avuigwerie Orette has died.
According to a statement signed by his media strategist, Henry Ovie Ebireri, Orette died in Houston, Texas, United States.
The cause of his death is unknown.
The late politician was born in Owhelogbo, Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State.
Before venturing into politics, he spent several decades practising medicine in Nigeria and the United States.
He was initially a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State before leaving the party in early 2026 to join the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
His decision to leave the APC followed disagreements over what he considered undemocratic practices within the party.
However, his stay in the NDC was also short-lived, as he resigned from the party in mid-2026 following disputes over its primary elections.
Orette subsequently joined the ADC and secured the party’s ticket to contest the Delta South Senatorial District seat in the 2027 elections.
Before his death, he was involved in a legal dispute with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the omission of his name from the final list of candidates for the January 16, 2027 election.
The late politician had approached the Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking ₦1 billion in damages from the electoral commission.
He argued that his name was wrongly excluded despite winning the ADC direct primary with 10,950 votes.
