Asaba, Delta state – Former Delta state governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has said that former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who was the 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), will soon leave the party.
Okowa said this on Tuesday, April 29, during an interview on Arise TV, monitored by Legit.ng.
Atiku, 78, has run unsuccessfully for president of Nigeria six times, in 1993, 2007, 2011, 2015, 2019, and 2023.
Political alignments have started to take shape ahead of the 2027 general elections in Nigeria and Atiku is believed to be leading a coalition against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The coalition includes Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna state; ex-minister Rotimi Amaechi; presidential hopeful Peter Obi; among others.
Okowa said:
“I discussed the coalition with Atiku, who is on his way out of the PDP before we moved to the APC.”
On the planned coalition, Okowa said:
“It does not seem that a viable vehicle has been confirmed for that coalition, nor does it appear that a coalition could build strength in such a short period.”
2027 election: Okowa knocks Saraki
Meanwhile, Okowa hit back at former Senate President Bukola Saraki for faulting his defection.
Okowa said Saraki lacked the moral right to criticise his decision to join the APC.
Okowa restated that defections of PDP members, including him and the governor (Sheriff Oborevwori), to the APC were a collective decision of all political stakeholders in the state.
He said:
“I didn’t expect somebody like Senator Bukola Saraki to be able to speak about me because he also moved to the APC before eventually returning. I don’t think he has the moral right to speak about my defection at all.”
Keyamo: Delta was the soul of PDP
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development, said the PDP has lost its “soul” following the defection of political heavyweights in Delta state into the APC.
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Keyamo explained that Delta state was one of the major funders of the PDP, adding that Oborevwori’s defection is a major boost for the APC ahead of the 2027 elections.
The minister asserted that the defection is also significant for the people of Delta, noting that it would help the state to align with the politics at the centre.
