Okowa confirms Atiku’s exit from PDP, backs Tinubu for second term
Former Delta State Governor and 2023 vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has confirmed that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is preparing to leave the PDP.
He also declared his support for President Bola Tinubu to complete a second term in office, citing the need for national stability and political continuity.
Speaking in an interview on ARISE News on Tuesday, Okowa offered a candid explanation for his recent defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), alongside Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and other key PDP stakeholders in Delta State.
He described the move as the culmination of months of consultations and disillusionment with the state of the PDP.
“I discussed the coalition with Atiku, who is on his way out of the PDP, before we moved to the APC,” Okowa revealed, confirming rumours that the 2023 PDP presidential flagbearer is rethinking his political future.
Okowa distanced himself from the proposed grand opposition coalition led by Atiku, saying it lacked clarity, structure and urgency.
“It does not seem that a viable vehicle for a coalition has been confirmed, nor does it appear that a coalition could build strength in such a short period,” he said.
Instead, Okowa threw his weight behind President Tinubu, calling for a full eight-year tenure.
He argued that Tinubu’s re-election in 2027 would uphold the South’s turn in the presidential rotation and serve Nigeria’s best interest.
“For the stability of this nation, it is best for us to have him complete his eight-year tenure. Then the presidency can move back to the North. I believe that is the right thing,” he stated.
The former governor explained that the PDP’s internal disarray – legal wrangling over leadership, disunity, and lack of electoral strategy – convinced Delta’s political elite that the party could not compete effectively in 2027.
“We had various levels of meetings with several stakeholders, and even consulted some of our leaders who are not politicians before we came to this decision,” Okowa said.
“It was not just a decision of the governor or myself; it was the consensus of a broader political family in Delta.”
He cited his own experience as a two-term opposition governor as evidence of the limitations faced when disconnected from federal power. “Though we tried to do our best in the state, we could not lay our hands on a lot of things that would have benefited us at the federal level,” he said.
Defending the move to the APC, Okowa said the decision was made to reconnect Delta State with “the corridors of power in Abuja”, a step he deemed necessary for attracting federal investments and development opportunities.
He also pushed back against critics, particularly former Senate President Bukola Saraki, who questioned the morality of his defection. “Saraki has no moral right to speak. He has jumped parties several times,” Okowa fired back.
The defection of Okowa and Governor Oborevwori marks one of the most high-profile realignments in Nigeria’s political landscape since the 2023 elections, and signals deepening cracks in the PDP, particularly as the 2027 election cycle approaches.
