BREAKING: PDP Chairman Damagum Breaks Silence on Delta Gov, Okowa’s Defection, “We Gave Them Everything”
Umar Damagum, acting national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has described the defection of Sheriff Oborevwori, governor of Delta state, to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as unfortunate.
Damagum spoke on Thursday, April 24, during the presentation of a certificate of return to Ezenwafor Jude, the party’s governorship candidate in Anambra.
Recall that Delta governor Sheriff Oborevwori dumped the leading opposition party PDP and defected to the ruling APC.
Legit.ng reported that Delta governor joined the APC alongside his predecessor and PDP vice presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Ifeanyi Okowa.
In an interview on Thursday, Nasarawa state governor, Abdullahi Sule, also declared that more governors will defect to the ruling APC.
Sule said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s inclusive leadership style and developmental projects across states, including non-APC controlled regions, are driving increased support.
2027 will be APC vs Nigerians, says Damagum
However, Damagum, bemoaning Oborevwori’s defection, said the outcome of the 2027 election will be determined by Nigerians, not by the number of governors a party controls.
The PDP national chairman said it will be up to Nigerians, who are bearing the brunt of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s policies, to decide whether he remains in office or is voted out in the 2027 general elections, The Cable reported.
“If there’s any state that should not have taken this path, it is Delta.”
“We gave them everything — support for the governor and even the former governor (Ifeanyi Okowa), our vice presidential candidate in 2023. We least expected this action from them.
“This election in 2027 is not about how many governors you have or how many leaders. It is about Tinubu and Nigerians,” Damagum said.
Continuing, Damagum added that the party has weathered even more serious challenges in the past and is still standing strong.
PDP governor breaks silence on APC defection
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that Akwa Ibom state governor Umo Eno has denied rumours of a planned defection from the PDP to the APC.
Governor Eno earlier endorsed President Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio for second terms but described this as a strategic alliance.
The state commissioner for information, Aniekan Umanah, gave this clarification on Wednesday amid contention about the governor’s latest actions.
