*To Be Received On Monday By Shettima At Formal Declaration In Asaba
*APC Welcomes Defections
*Keyamo Hails, Group Knocks Decision
FINALLY and after months of speculations, Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, his Deputy, Monday Onyeme, commissioners and aides have formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
This followed an over six hours closed-door meeting on Wednesday, April 23, at the Government House, Asaba, attended by Oborevwori; Onyeme; immediate past governor and vice presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 general elections, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa; Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr. Emomotimi Guwor; members of the National and State Assemblies; commissioners; local government chairmen; top government functionaries; stakeholders; leaders and party officials.
Though Oborevwori was yet to personally make a public statement on his defection, but his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Sir Festus Ahon, said the decision followed “extensive consultations with political stakeholders” and was arrived at in the interest of the state’s long-term growth and development.
In the same vein, a major PDP stakeholder in the state and former senator, James Manager, said shortly the over six-hour meeting: “You have just been told about some of the things that have been happening in the PDP Delta State.
“Some consultations have been going on and the climax of these consultations is what you are seeing today. We have discussed and have disagreed to agree and it is a unanimous agreement. I am the pioneer state chairman of the PDP,but you cannot be in a boat that is already capsizing, because I am a riverine man.
“Looking at issues the way they are, we have come to the inevitable conclusion to do something else. It is a collective decision for so many reasons.
“Few days ago, there was a resolution taken by the PDP Governors’ Forum at Ibadan. Almost all the governor’s were there and they resolved that they are not going into coalition with any other party.
“But as disadvantaged as the PDP is now with about 11 governors, how do you go into a contest with an incumbent President? You think you can win? That particular resolution killed the spirit of so many PDP members.
“We lost election in 2015 as a result of a merger, which even included splinter groups from the PDP.
“There are also other reasons. Today, Senator Anyanwu is the National Secretary of the party, tomorrow is another person. The party must be position to go into an election to win. So, you see that it is becoming very funny. The PDP is truly in trouble.
“If you look well, the current PDP state chairman was in the meeting, the governor was there, the deputy governor, the immediate past governor, the speaker; all of these persons were in the meeting. National Assembly members and even the House of Assembly members. The who is who in Delta State was in the meeting to make this decision.”
Also speaking, Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, said the decision became necessary following the unfortunate happenings at the national level of the party.
“For some time now, the media, particularly the social media, have been awash as to what political decisions that we are going to be taking in Delta.
“While that was on, the governor and the leaders of the party have been very busy carrying out some necessary consultations and it is also part of that consultation that has resulted in this meeting today for the leaders of the PDP to be able to advise as to what necessary steps that needed to be taken.
“It is said that when the taste of the palm wine changes, the drinking pattern also changes, and the leaders of the party were unanimous in their view that the political temperature has changed.
“There was a need for change that will help cement the development in our state; to build the bond of love that has exists in our state and to further advance the security and welfare of our people.
“Like you know, every politics is local. So, in taking this decision, we came to the inevitable conclusion that moving out of the PDP is very necessary for us to collaborate with our kits and kin and build that bond that we have been enjoying.”
He added: “We believe that what is happening in the PDP at the national can be likened to that palm wine whose taste has changed and that is why this decision has been taken.
“By the grace of God, on Monday next week, we would be able to make a bold statement that we are moving to the APC.”
At the meeting, stakeholders, leaders and members of the PDP resolved to join Oborevwori, who would be received at a rally by Vice President, Kashim Shettima, at the Cenotaph in Asaba, on Monday, April 28, to move to the APC.
Although Okowa was yet to announce his new party, but he was seen in a viral video informing his constituents of the development, and there are strong indications that he would also join the APC.
He told his constituents to “be assured that we will not go in the wrong direction. We will take the best direction, the best path for our people.”
There have been speculations over the political stance of Oborevwori, who won the 2023 governorship election on PDP ticket, as he has laltely been hobnobbing with the APC leadership.
Earlier in the year, he jetted out to Ghana to attend the swearing-in of President John Mahama, although he reportedly meeting with Tinubu, ostensibly to extract some assurances and commitment and perfect his final defection.
He has also met with the APC National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, and other leaders of the party to cement the defection plan.
Okowa has been having a running battle with the Economic and Financial crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of misappropriation of public funds running into billions of naira, following a petition by the late elder statesman, Chief E.K. Clark.
He has been a visitor to the EFCC zonal office in Port Harcourt, where he was interrogated on the allegation/petition, with some officials of the state also invited for clarification.
It could not be confirmed whether his defection and those of his loyalists, including Oborevwori, has anything to do with his investigation by the anti-graft agency.
However, the picture will certainly become clearer in the coming days, as the PDP tatters further, following its internal divisions, with more governors said to be contemplating dumping the party in the coming months ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In its reaction, APC, officially welcomed the defectors into its fold.
In a statement on Wednesday, April 23, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, described the defection as a major political development, adding: “The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress, under the leadership of Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, is highly elated by the decision of Oborevwori to join our great party.”
The party stressed its readiness to fully integrate the new members, noting: “Our great party welcomes this important development and assures the governor, as well as incoming leaders and members of Delta PDP, of our fullest cooperation and accommodation within the APC family.”
The party underscored the broader significance of the defections, saying it would strengthen both Delta State and national development efforts under the current administration.
“We are delighted that Delta State now stands poised to contribute maximally to the success and realisation of the Renewed Hope Agenda of Tinubu and the enduring good and prosperity of Deltans and all Nigerians,” he stated.
The state Publicity Secretary of APC, Valentine Onojeghuo, said: “I can’t confirm anything yet, as I am yet to be brief by my state chairman, but like every Deltan, I am also hearing about the rumours of the governor joining the APC.
“If that is true, it is a welcome development, as our first and foremost priority is to ensure that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mandate for a second term is guaranteed, as we will work with anyone who is committed to ensuring that the President secures a second term.
“So, Oborevwori is welcome to APC, having been convinced by the developmental strides of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu.”
Also, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), hailed the defections as a political turning point and a long-awaited breakthrough for the APC in the state.
Writing on his X handle, Keyamo said: “Today is the day the Lord has made in Delta State. Finally, finally Delta is APC!”
He stated that the defections were due to the leadership style of Tinubu, whose inclusiveness made APC an attractive platform for leading political figures.
“Thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership that has attracted the best to our Party,” he said.
While lauding him for what he described as a bold and visionary decision, the minister added: “Thank you, my leader and governor for your foresight and courage in taking this bold decision.”
However, a political advocacy group, Fix PDP, Fix Nigeria, condemned the defections as a betrayal of trust and a major setback for the PDP.
Ejiro Moses, on behalf of the group, described the governor’s action as a clear act of political opportunism, warning that it would not go unchallenged.
He also disclosed that the group was set to mobilise against the governor’s re-election bid, stating: “This is not just a political move; it’s a breach of the trust that millions of Deltans placed in the PDP.
“We view the governor’s defection as a betrayal of the party’s ideals and of the voters who supported him under the PDP platform.”
The group affirmed its commitment to PDP’s core values, vowing to hold the governor accountable for the “unprincipled abandonment of the people’s mandate.”
