- PDP has degenerated into toxic space – Oluwole Oke
- APC stalwarts hail Tinubu over gale of defection, PDP members lament
Many Nigerians, especially members and supporters of the major opposition People’s Democratic Party have expressed concerns that the country may soon become a one-party state if the gale of defection rocking the party does not abate.
The worries followed the latest official defection of the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, his predecessor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, and several key stakeholders of the ruling PDP to the All Progressives Congress.
The announcement was made on Wednesday after a high-level stakeholders meeting held at the Government House, Asaba.
The entire structure of the PDP in the state including the Speaker of the House of Assembly, all Commissioners, the PDP state, local government and ward executives among others moved to APC.
Also present at the pivotal meeting were Delta State Deputy Governor, Monday Onyeme, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and 2023 running mate of Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the PDP; Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Emomotimi Guwor, members of the National and State Assemblies, commissioners, local government chairmen, and other party officials and stakeholders.
Analysts explained that the defection represents a significant shift in Delta State’s political landscape, marking the first time since 1999 that a sitting governor and a former governor have collectively abandoned the PDP for another party.
Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Delta State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, explained that the decision to abandon the PDP was borne out of the need to align with a political platform that would better serve the development goals of the state and the interests of Deltans.
“For some time now, the media has been speculating about the political direction of Delta State,” Aniagwu said, adding, “Our Governor and leaders have been carrying out wide consultations, and after careful deliberations, we reached a unanimous decision. The political temperature has changed; the taste of the palm wine, so to speak, has changed; and we must adjust our drinking pattern accordingly.”
He continued, “This move is aimed at ensuring that Delta State continues on the path of development, security, and progress. Remaining in the PDP, given the current circumstances, would only truncate that journey.”
Echoing similar sentiments, former Senator for Delta South and pioneer PDP Chairman in the state, Senator James Manager, emphasised that the decision was not taken lightly, but was a necessary response to the internal issues plaguing the PDP.
“I have been with the PDP from the very beginning, so this is a very emotional moment for me.
“But when a ship is sinking, you don’t stay onboard out of sentiment. We had extensive consultations, and today marks the climax of those discussions. What we have now is a collective and unanimous decision to chart a new course,” Manager added.
Also on Wednesday, a member of the House of Representatives, representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency, Oluwole Oke, dumped the PDP, saying the party has degenerated into toxic space and has deviated from its principles and values.
Oke made this known in a statement issued by his constituency office few hours after the legislator announced his resignation in a letter he personally addressed to the PDP chairman of Ward 7, Obokun Local Government Area of Osun State.
Meanwhile, many Nigerians, including members of the PDP, across the country, expressed shock and disappointment over Governor Oborevwori decision of pulling all PDP stakeholders in Delta to APC.
Ijaw rights activist, Austin Ozobo, voiced his disapproval, stating that he felt betrayed by the governor’s move.
“It is no longer news about Governor Oborevwori’s defection to APC. It is sad. I never knew you (the governor) would kill PDP in Delta for personal gains,” he said.
Similarly, some PDP members expressed deep dismay, saying the governor’s action was a slap in the face of the party’s loyalists who toiled to see him elected.
“It’s unfortunate that the governor will just do this to a party that stood by him during his election travails. We wish him well sha,” one of them lamented.
Others said Governor Oborevwori could have remained in the PDP while aligning politically with President Bola Tinubu, as former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike had done.
“Banking on any under-the-table agreement with the APC over 2027 is risky. They could shock him. You don’t rely on political promises for a second term,” one party faithful warned.
A PDP member, Olayinka Hakeem, in a chat with The Point, claimed that President Bola Tinubu has been bullying PDP governors into defecting to APC, after the state of emergency declared in Rivers State recently.
He said, “As it stands today, Tinubu has successfully bullied these Governors into defecting to the APC, especially after the state of emergency declared in Rivers State a few weeks ago. It is disheartening to see how they would rather cling to power than remain loyal to the very party that brought them to prominence.
“I also hold the PDP leadership responsible for allowing a power-drunk Wike to wreck the party in pursuit of his selfish interests. History will remember these moments, just as it remembers the likes of Obafemi Awolowo, Ladoke Akintola, MKO Abiola, Sani Abacha and others who shaped and marred the course of this nation in their time.
“They may have their plans, but I strongly believe God has His own plan for Nigeria in 2027. No matter how long this thrives, it can never overpower the will of the people or derail the destiny of a nation.
“As for me, I have lost every ounce of trust in these governors. Their actions have made it clear where their loyalty truly lies, not with the people, not with principle, but solely with power and their pocket,” he said.
Asked if the PDP would survive the current realignment rocking it, he disclosed that the party is already in disarray, adding that more PDP governors would join APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Hakeem said, “The PDP is already in disarray ahead of the 2027 elections. A merger might be on the horizon, with the party possibly joining forces with others to form a formidable opposition against the APC.
“More governors may defect to the APC before 2027, but it won’t erase the fact that in the 2023 presidential election, the APC lost in 13 states where they had sitting governors. That pattern won’t be any different in 2027.”
Similarly, a political advocacy group, Fix PDP, Fix Nigeria, has strongly condemned the defection of Delta State Governor from the PDP to the APC, calling it a betrayal of trust and a major setback for the PDP.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Ejiro Moses described the governor’s decision as a clear act of political opportunism, warning that it will not go unchallenged.
He also revealed that the group is set to mobilise against the governor’s re-election bid, positioning his defection as a central issue in the next electoral cycle.
“This is not just a political move; it’s a breach of the trust that millions of Deltans placed in the PDP. We view Governor Sheriff’s defection as a betrayal of the party’s ideals and of the voters who supported him under the PDP platform,” Moses stated.
Fix PDP, Fix Nigeria affirmed its commitment to the PDP’s core values and vowed to hold the governor accountable for what it described as an “unprincipled abandonment of the people’s mandate.”
Also weighing in on the development, a human rights lawyer, Deji Adeyanju, said Delta Governor’s defection is better than “other opposition governors who will stay in PDP, LP and work for Tinubu.”
He opined, “The Delta Governor that had the courage to defect to APC is better than opposition governors who will stay in PDP, LP and work for Tinubu. It is like someone arguing with me that Peter Obi is not working for Tinubu. Who was single handedly responsible for Tinubu’s victory in 2023?
“Even if Atiku and Obi are on a joint ticket now, it’s too late. Tinubu will not lose an election Tinubu conduct. They had their luckiest chance in 2023 but they kept playing to the gallery and entertaining their supporters, and Buhari was ready to work with them.”
Meanwhile, APC stalwarts and supporters have hailed President Tinubu for being instrumental to the defection of the Delta PDP leaders and members.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, while commending President Tinubu for his leadership, shared a video of the Delta Governor and his cabinet members singing ‘On Your Mandate,’ a political anthem associated with the President.
Keyamo said, “Today is the day the Lord has made in Delta State. Finally, finally Delta is APC. Thank you, Mr. President for your leadership that has attracted the best to our Party. Thank you, my leader & Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori for your foresight and courage in taking this bold decision.”
In the same vein, former Organizing Secretary of the APC in Delta State, Sunny Mene, welcomed the governor and his team into the APC fold, likening political parties to churches with open doors.
“Political parties are like churches, the gate is always open for new converts. The more, the merrier. As a leader of the APC in the state, I can only say that the governor and others are welcomed,” Mene said.
A pro-Tinubu political advocacy group, the Tinubu Disciples, warmly welcomed Oborevwori into the APC, describing the move as a “step in the right direction” for both the governor and the state.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the group’s National Coordinator, Koyoyo Uhrorho, commended Governor Oborevwori’s decision to join the ruling party, noting that it signifies Delta State’s alignment with the national political landscape and opens new opportunities for the state to reclaim its place in federal decision-making.
“We welcome the Delta State Governor, Elder Sheriff Oborevwori, to the APC. It is a step in the right direction, a breath of fresh air for the state, and an inclusion into national politics,” Uhrorho said.
He added that the defection validates the confidence the Tinubu Disciples placed in President Bola Tinubu during the last general elections, during which the group played a key role in mobilizing grassroots support.
“Even opposition figures are now seeing what we saw in President Tinubu. With this move, Delta State is firmly positioned within national politics and aligned with a leadership style that emphasizes bold reforms and inclusive governance,” Uhrorho said.
He further urged Nigerians from all walks of life, regardless of political affiliation, religion, or ethnicity, to rally behind President Tinubu in his efforts to tackle the nation’s challenges.
Uhrorho emphasised that Tinubu’s character and political will make him uniquely equipped to steer the country through turbulent times.
Sources informed The Point that President Tinubu had entered into a pact with PDP governors to support him in his second term bid, revealing that more PDP governors would soon identify with the APC.
THE POINT recalls that the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, had declared his support for President Tibunu’s second-term bid, citing Tinubu’s commitment to national development through critical infrastructure projects like the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
Eno, who is a governor of the opposition PDP, made the declaration while representing President Tinubu during the official flag-off of the 65-kilometre, three-lane dual carriageway section of the highway project in Nsit-Antai Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State
“All seventeen (17) southern governors have already united and are behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu presidency. Nine (9) governors from the North; Benue, Plateau, Kwara, Adamawa, Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi, Taraba and FCT have secretly thrown their support for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu presidency. Like Delta, Enugu Governor may follow suit any moment from now,” the source said.
Meanwhile, Nigerians have expressed different views over weak opposition in the country, noting that one party state may not augur well for Nigeria.
Oyeleke Abayomi, a key political observer, said, “Before 2027, nearly all members of the opposition political parties would have decamped into the APC. Nigeria will soon turn into a one-party state and the country will surely harvest its windfalls. More of decamping into the so called mainstreams national party.”
Wondering further on the potential disadvantages of the political reality in the country, he said, “Gales of defections into the APC. What does this portend to our political development? Will turning Nigeria into a one party state promote unity in diversity? Will it engender stable polity and promote socio-political and economic development? Time will tell.”
On what is likely to be the aftermath of the ongoing gale of defections from the PDP, Abayomi explained that “It will further weaken the strength of PDP which happens to be the main opposition party in the country.”
He continued, “Ordinarily, this mass exodus cannot totally turn Nigeria into a one-party state but it will further weaken the strength of the opposition party that ought to be a necessary ingredient under democracy.
“Absence of strong opposition party in any democracy could encourage dictatorial tendency on the part of the leadership of the national ruling party most especially in a situation where the National Assembly has become rubber stamp, an annex and an extension of the presidency as we are having it currently.
“Ordinary citizens will continue to bear the brunt and it portends danger to the country political development. Today, the three arms of government have become one; Executive has pocketed the legislature and judiciary. There is no more strong opposition to challenge the excesses of the Executive, peaceful protest is not allowed, whoever that challenges the President’s excesses is tagged as dissident. All these portend danger to sustenance of the country’s democracy.”
“As for the PDP, the party has been tore into shreds through personal ambition of individuals that see themselves as untouchable and institutions. Today, the country is battling with many challenges that need urgent attention beyond the political rat race that is going on in our political space,” he remarked.
For Oluwatoyin Yusuf, “Defection of Governors to a party doesn’t make Nigeria a one-party state. Not all the governors will defect. Some will hold tenaciously to their parties. Besides, many Senators and Members of the House of Representatives are not defecting. There was a time the PDP controlled more than 70% of the states. The dominance then didn’t make Nigeria a one-party-state.”
APC welcomes defection of Oborevwori, Okowa, others from PDP
Meanwhile, the APC has officially welcomed Oborevwori and several prominent leaders of the PDP, including former Governor Okowa, into its fold.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, described the defection as a major political development and expressed the party’s excitement over the move.
“The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress, under the leadership of Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is highly elated by the decision of the Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, to join our great party,” the statement read.
The party noted that Governor Oborevwori is not alone in the defection.
“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,” Morka stated.
The party also highlighted the broader significance of the move, suggesting 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 President Bola Tinubu, and the enduring good and prosperity of Deltans and all Nigerians,” the statement concluded.
