Ifeanyi Okowa, the former governor of Delta State, has stated that his desire to link the state to the capital city of Abuja was the driving force behind his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, Okowa’s predecessor, and his cabinet colleagues defected from the PDP to the APC last week.
The opposition party lost one of the oil-rich states it has ruled since 1999 to the ruling APC, which upset the PDP’s national leadership.
Speaking at the APC welcome ceremony for the defectors on Monday, Okowa explained why they left the PDP, stating that it was in Delta State’s best interests.
According to Okowa, the PDP’s 2023 vice presidential candidate, the defection was required to link the state to the riches and goodwill in the Federal Capital Territory.
He said, “When the news broke on Wednesday 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, and there was a need to connect to it.”
Delta lost a lot during his reign since the state was opposed, according to Okowa, who called the political leaders’ move to the APC both patriotic and strategic.
“I was governor for eight years. I was in opposition. I did my best, but we lost a lot. And I did not believe that the governor needed to stay working very hard, and we know that we are very supportive of Governor Sheriff because he’s doing a lot. But as the governor is doing a lot for us, he also needs to connect to the greater source of power and resources and goodwill in Abuja,” the ex-governor said.
He therefore urged Deltans who are already members of the APC to join and cooperate with them in order to establish the ruling party as the dominant force in the state.
Okowa said it’s time for Delta State residents to stand firmly in support of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Oborevwori while also urging support for Tinubu’s administration.
