Former Delta State Governor and 2023 Vice-Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has announced his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing the PDP’s lack of preparedness for the 2027 general elections as his reason.
Okowa stated that the PDP had failed to demonstrate seriousness about reclaiming power, prompting his decision to join the ruling party.
He also claimed that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was likely to leave the PDP as well, noting that “many Nigerians are aware of his imminent departure.”
His defection, alongside that of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and several other political heavyweights in the state, has sparked significant debate and reshaped the political landscape in Delta and beyond.
Commenting on this in the interview, Okowa said, “I did not watch Senator Bukola speak, but I heard about what he said. Originally, I believe we are a political family in Delta and once we take decisions together I have to go with my political family because without that family I have no politics to play.
“Also I did not expect that some body like Saraki should be able to speak concerning me, because he has also moved to APC before and returned, so I don’t think that he has a moral right to speak about my defection.
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“I did not want to join issues with people, but as stakeholders and leaders in the state, we have sat down to look at events in the last several months and because of the events and the communication coming out from the leaders of the party. At the moment it does not appear to us that, that is the proper political vehicle for us to continue in.
“Because, it did not also appear to us that PDP was ready to be competitive in the 2027 elections. So if a party appears on its as is led by the current leadership to take a decision that they want to continue alone and they were not ready for alliances, they were not ready for coalition with other parties.
“How do they want to compete, haven looked critically at the situation along with many other things that has been going on within the Party as to various court cases, as to who is the National Secretary of the party and many other issues. We do not appear to be really ready to compete in the 2027 election.
“So, having looked at this, alongside the belief that as a political family in Delta State, we needed to be able to move ahead.”
Asked on his relationship with Atiku prior to his defection from the PDP, Okowa said, “I actually did communicate with him that we were going to have stakeholders’ meetings this week and that it was going to be a leadership meeting and the outcome of that meeting was going to determine our next path because we were no longer comfortable with the PDP.
“And I also know that he is already heading out of the PDP from the communications he (Atiku) has passed on to me and that Nigerians know already.”
 in the 2023 elections, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has announced his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing the PDP’s lack of preparedness for the 2027 general elections as his reason.){kind=link}