Former vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ifeanyi Okowa, has defended the decision he and Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, made to leave the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking on Monday during their official defection ceremony, Okowa clarified that the move was not driven by personal ambition but was instead a strategic decision made in the best interest of Delta State and its people.
Okowa explained that despite Governor Oborevwori’s impressive performance, the state was not receiving sufficient goodwill and resources, and the urgent need to bridge this gap prompted the shift to the APC.
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Reflecting on his time as an opposition governor for eight years, Okowa noted the challenges and limitations faced when operating outside the federal ruling party, emphasizing that Delta State could no longer afford such disadvantages.
He revealed that the defection followed extensive consultations with stakeholders across the state.
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“When the news broke on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, that we had decided to change course, many were surprised. But history shows that there are moments when a people must alter their path for the collective good,” Okowa said.
He continued, “The decision was never about me or the Governor alone; it was about the pressing need to connect to the centre of goodwill and resources in Abuja, to which Delta State is a major contributor. We realized the state must tap directly into that source.”
Okowa stressed that Governor Oborevwori’s hard work deserved greater support and that aligning with the federal centre would better serve the state’s development goals.
“This move is bold, strategic, patriotic, and made with the purest intentions — all for the greater good of our state and its people,” he concluded at the rally held in Asaba.
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