A major political realignment has hit Delta State, as Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, and all prominent figures of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state have resolved to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking after a lengthy six-hour meeting held at the Government House in Asaba on Wednesday, April 23, Senator James Manager disclosed the unanimous decision to exit the PDP.
“All PDP members in the state, including the governor, former Governor Okowa, the Speaker, the state party chairman, all the local government chairmen and others, have agreed to move to the APC,” Manager said. “We cannot continue to be in a sinking boat.”
The announcement, which has stirred political ripples in the South-South region, marks a dramatic shift in Delta’s political landscape.
Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr Aniagwu Charles, further explained the reasoning behind the defection, citing the need for political evolution in order to maintain stability and progress.
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“There is a need for us to adjust our drinking patterns. And in adjusting that drinking pattern, we needed to make a decision that would further help to cement the development in our state, to build the court of law that has existed in our state, to further advance the cause of security and the welfare of our people, and, to a large extent, ensure that development in Delta is not truncated,” he said.
He likened the state of the PDP to “palm wine whose taste has changed,” insisting that the time had come to “change the drinking party.”
“In taking that decision, we concluded that leaving the PDP was very necessary for us to be able to collaborate and build a state that every Deltan will be proud of,” Charles added.
He also revealed that the public should expect a formal declaration of the move soon.
“By the grace of God, on Monday next week, we will be able to make a very big statement confirming that we are moving into the APC,” he stated.
The shift is expected to have far-reaching implications for party dynamics not just in Delta, but across the South-South political bloc.