Vice President Kashim Shettima on Monday officially received Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, former governor Ifeanyi Okowa and other PDP defectors at the Cenotaph in Asaba, the Delta State capital, with National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Umar stating that more governors would join the ruling party.
The storm had been long speculated before the dramatic defection of PDP’s former vice presidential candidate, Okowa; Governor Oborevwori and the entire PDP party structure in Delta, one of the former ruling party’s strongholds.
Delta Deputy Governor Monday Onyeme, state commissioners, local government chairmen, and the state’s grassroots machinery all moved en bloc to the APC after a closed-door meeting in Asaba last week following “Hurricane Tinubu,” which had swept the PDP apart, with the opposition claiming the country was drifting towards a one-party state.
The PDP previously held sway in the South-South but with Monday’s official defection, the ruling party now has three governors in the region – Edo, Cross River and Delta – while Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa are led by the opposition PDP governors. The suspension of Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubara places his fate in the balance.
Political analysts feel it’s a matter of time before Hurricane Tinubu sweeps through the entire region with Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno already declaring support for President Bola Tinubu’s second term bid, while Bayelsa PDP caretaker chairman, George Turnah, has insisted that the party will support the President even if Governor Douye Diri didn’t.
Speaking in Asaba on Monday, Shettima said history was made in the South-South sub-region following the mass defection of all Delta State PDP members to the ruling APC, according to The PUNCH.
He said, “This is a tsunami of the highest propulsion as all members of the Upper Chamber are in the APC; the governor and his entire cabinet, legislators, local government council chairmen and other stakeholders in the party.
“Since the formation of the party, many predictions have been writing against us, some armchair critics said we couldn’t go anywhere but today history has vindicated us, many people are joining the progressives to move the nation forward.
“So, you are welcome to our party, you are not guests but co-owners of the party. We welcome you not as defectors but as brothers and sisters, not as guests but as family.
“By the APC constitution, the governor is the leader of the party, henceforth, you are to lead the party in the state to greater success.”
On his part, Governor Oborevwori lamented that they had been in opposition for almost 10 years and needed to join the ruling party.
What you have seen here today is a movement, not a defection, he said. “We have been in opposition for almost 10 years. President Bola Tinubu has shown us love in Delta, so, we want to replicate the love.
“We cannot show love from outside, so we must be inside to show love. I don’t talk, but I believe in action. We have consulted stakeholders at all levels. Mr President has shown us love. We cannot face him in 2027 to work against him. When you consult widely, you can see that love is organic.”
“I don’t believe in Festus Keyamo and Omo-Agege’s factions, I’m the leader of the APC in Delta and everybody must queue,” Oborevwori said.
The governor, who justified moving the entire PDP from the ward level to the state into APC, called on other governors to join the movement.
Ganduje boasts
In his remarks, the National Chairman of APC, Umar Ganduje, commended the President for providing good leadership in the country.
He also commended the governor and his predecessor, Okowa, for taking bold steps into APC, believing in progress, accountability, openness and transparency of the party.
Ganduje praised other APC governors for their support, adding that with Oborevwori’s defection, the APC now had 22 governors.
“I must thank our 21 executive governors. Now, with this, we have the 22nd governor. Let me tell you, keep your ears and eyes open — more governors will soon join us,” Ganduje stated while handing over the APC flag to Oborevwori.
Also, Okowa described the defection as a right and timely decision on Wednesday last week, saying it’s obviously a great day in Delta state.
Okowa, who served as Delta State governor from 2015 to 2023, explained that the decision was motivated by the need to establish stronger ties with the Federal Government at the centre.
“As I did tell people that day, it was not about me, it was not about the governor, but the fact that there is a need for us to connect to Abuja, that goodwill that is in Abuja, that resource that is in Abuja of which Delta is a large contributor, there is a need to connect to it. I was governor for eight years; I did my best, but we lost a lot, and I did not believe that the governor needed to stay working very hard without tapping into that,” Okowa stated.
“But as the governor is doing a lot for us, he also needs to connect to the greater source of power, resources, and goodwill in Abuja,” the former governor added.
He further described the move as bold, patriotic, and well-intentioned. “When we sat down after the stakeholders meeting, we thought that it was necessary to make this move. The move is bold, it is patriotic, and it is well-intentioned. It is in the best interest of our state.”
