Delta State Governor, Predecessor Reportedly Defect to Ruling Party

There are reports of a significant political shift in Nigeria’s Delta State, with the current Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, his immediate predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, and numerous other prominent members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said to have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The announcement was reportedly made on Wednesday in Asaba, the Delta State capital, by Senator James Manager, following a meeting that lasted several hours at the Government House.

According to Senator Manager, “All PDP members in the state, including the governor, former Governor Okowa, the Speaker, the state party chairman, all the local government chairmen and others, have agreed to move to the APC.” He reportedly added, “We cannot continue to be in a sinking boat.”

The Delta State Commissioner for Information, Aniagwu Charles, is reported to have officially confirmed the governor’s defection and the collective decision of PDP leaders and stakeholders in the state to join the APC.

Mr. Aniagwu stated, “There is a need for us to adjust our drinking patterns. And in adjusting that drinking pattern, we needed to make a decision that would further help to cement the development in our state, to build the court of law that has existed in our state, to further advance the cause of security and the welfare of our people, and, to a large extent, ensure that development in Delta is not truncated.”

He continued, “In taking that decision, we concluded that leaving the PDP was very necessary for us to be able to collaborate and build a state that every Deltan will be proud of. We believe that what is happening, and the state of the PDP, is akin to that palm wine whose taste has changed — and there was a need for us to change the drinking party.”

Mr. Charles also indicated that the decision was unanimously made by party leaders and stakeholders and hinted at a formal public declaration in the near future. “By the grace of God, on Monday next week, we will be able to make a very big statement confirming that we are moving into the APC,” he is quoted as saying.

This reported move marks a potentially major turning point in the politics of Delta State, located in Nigeria’s South-South region, and could have wider implications for the balance of political power in the area.