Former Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has disclosed that former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, is preparing to leave the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Dr Okowa made this revelation on Tuesday during an interview on Arise News. He noted that the former vice president had already informed him of his intentions.
“And I also know that he is already heading out of the PDP from the communications he has passed on to me, and that Nigerians know already,” he said.
Dr Okowa, who was Atiku’s running mate in the 2023 election, said he no longer felt comfortable in the PDP and had earlier communicated his position to the former vice president.
“I actually did communicate with him that we were going to have stakeholders meetings this week (as of last 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.”
His latest statement adds weight to the speculations surrounding the future of the PDP following the formation of a proposed opposition coalition involving Atiku, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and others. The coalition, which was announced on March 20, aims to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 election.
Regret Over 2023 Running Mate Role
Okowa also used the interview to express regret over his role as Atiku’s running mate in 2023, admitting he went against the sentiment of his own people in the South who had preferred a southern candidate.
“Even when we were campaigning, I realised our people were not interested in having another northerner come into power. But the decision had already been taken at the federal level by the party, and I had been nominated. Still, in retrospect, I now believe I should have gone with the will of my people.”
Delta People Still Have Confidence
Speaking on the political direction of Delta State, Okowa insisted that his people had not lost confidence in his leadership, pointing to the election of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori as proof.
“That showed the people still believed in us, believed in me. They said you’ve done well, and we will support the governor you have chosen. And they did.”
Why I Joined APC — Okowa
At his official defection ceremony on Monday, Dr Okowa explained that his decision to join the APC was for the good of Delta State. He said aligning with the ruling party was necessary to attract federal presence and resources to the state.
“When the news broke on that we had decided to change our path, people wondered why, but one thing is very important in a people’s history: there is always a time to change their path for the common good of the people.
“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’s in Abuja of which Delta State is a large contributor, there was a need to connect to it.”
According to him, being in the opposition has not benefited the people of Delta State.
Tinubu Should Complete Eight Years
He also stated that President Bola Tinubu should be allowed to complete his eight-year tenure for the sake of Nigeria’s stability.
“But beyond all this, for the stability of this nation, I also do believe that, yes, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was elected president in 2023, and for the stability of Nigeria, it is best for us to have him complete his eight-year tenure, then the presidency can move back to the north,” he said.
“I believe that is the right thing, while not calling it a north-south thing.”
Atiku Reacts: 2027 is About Nigerians, Not Parties
Meanwhile, Atiku Abubakar, in his reaction to Okowa’s defection, said he bore no grudges and described party realignments as a normal part of democratic politics.
“As someone who holds fast to these values, I bear no grudges against anyone for exercising their right to political alignment. Defections, alliances, and realignments are part and parcel of democratic politics. We’ve seen them before, and we’ll see them again,” he said in a statement on Friday.
However, Atiku stressed that the 2027 general election would not be about political parties but about Nigerians rising against what he described as the failings of the Tinubu-led administration.
“Let us be clear: the coming political battle is not APC versus PDP, or LP versus APC. It is Nigerians versus an administration that has plunged the nation into untold suffering. The economy is in freefall,” he declared.
