‘How Okowa’s Choice As Running Mate Cost PDP, Atiku 2023 Presidency’

By: Clement A. Oloyede

The Senate’s Minority Leader, Abba Moro, yesterday alleged that the choice of a former governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa, as former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election made the latter lose the poll.

Moro was reacting to Okowa’s statement that he regretted accepting to be Atiku’s running mate.

Okowa, who had on Monday formalised his defection along with Delta State governor Sheriff Oborevwori and the PDP structure in the state to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), made the remarks in an interview on Arise TV yesterday.

But Moro described Okowa’s remarks as “uncharitable”, saying the former governor willingly sought the position and should not now distance himself from the consequences of that decision.

He said in the first place, some people in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) felt disaffected that Okowa was picked as the party’s vice presidential candidate.

“Some people were of the opinion that there were others who had contributed more to the success of the party, who were more committed and would have helped the party win the election rather than pick him,” Moro said.

He noted that Okowa’s rise through the ranks of the PDP—from senator to governor—was made possible by the platform he now appears to be disavowing.

“It’s unfortunate today that at his level, having been a senator and governor before on the platform of the PDP, I think it’s uncharitable for him to be expressing regret about being the party’s running mate. He was not forced. He asked for it, and he was given.

“With the hindsight that we have now, some of us think that the party would have won the election if another candidate—other than Okowa—had been picked as the vice-presidential candidate from the South.

“I think there was an error of judgment on the part of everybody that was involved in the choice of Okowa as the candidate,” Moro said.

He questioned Okowa’s inability to secure his home state for the PDP during the presidential election, noting that opposition parties gained significant ground in Delta despite Okowa’s stature.

“How else will you characterise this scenario—that a sitting governor, a former senator, and vice-presidential candidate couldn’t deliver his state, even to the presidential candidate?

“And to think that two out of the three senators from that state are from the opposition party, and I can tell you that one person may have won that election purely on his own merit, because of his pedigree and his contributions to the community,” he said.

On the PDP’s chances of mounting a credible challenge against President Tinubu and the APC in the 2027 elections, Moro said the political landscape remained fluid and unpredictable.

“One day in politics is like decades,” he noted, adding that things were happening so rapidly that they defy imagination and comprehension, even among seasoned political actors and that the same kind of rapid shift could work in favour of the PDP.

He pointed to recent efforts by the party’s leadership as evidence that the PDP is not crumbling, despite high-profile defections.

“Just about 72 hours ago, the chairmen of the PDP in the 36 states and the FCT met and reaffirmed their commitment to mobilising and galvanising support for the party, especially in light of what has happened in Delta State,” he said.

According to Moro, the PDP still commands deep loyalty across the country.

“There are individuals within the party whose body and soul remain committed to the PDP, and who are willing to make sacrifices and go to great lengths to rebuild the party.

“If the rebuilding effort meets the expectations for 2027, so be it. If it doesn’t, the PDP remains an integrated political brand that cuts across all segments of Nigerian society. It will not be easily broken,” he said.

peoples democratic party (pdp) presidential candidate for the 2023 presidential election, atiku abubakar and his running mate, ifeanyi okowa, during the campaign in 2023
peoples democratic party (pdp) presidential candidate for the 2023 presidential election, atiku abubakar and his running mate, ifeanyi okowa, during the campaign in 2023

I regret running with Atiku in 2023 – Okowa

In his interview on Arise Television, Okowa said he regretted running alongside Atiku in the 2023 presidential election, saying it contradicted the sentiments of his constituents in the South.

He said the South had expected that power should return to the region after President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Okowa said aligning with a northern candidate hurt his standing at home.

“The issue regarding the presidential election in 2023 was a question of north-south politics. The people of the South were likely interested in a southerner becoming president after Buhari’s tenure.

“Yes, I ran under my party as vice-presidential candidate because I belonged to that political family, and at that time, it was the best choice. But I realised, even during the campaign, that our people were not interested in another northerner coming into power in 2023, and that became a major factor for me,” he said.

He said that while the choice had been made at the federal level and he had already been nominated as the PDP’s vice-presidential candidate, he later realised that he was out of sync with public opinion.

“So what happened was a question of, ‘Oh, I did not seem to follow the path and the thoughts of the people.’ I have advised myself that it is important that I need to go with the people—not because I want to believe in north-south politics—but generally, when you are a politician playing politics, the views of your people matter,” he said.

Okowa stated that the outcome of the presidential election in Delta State, where he lost, was evidence of public disapproval.

“From the views of our people, which were expressed in the presidential election in 2023, that is why I have also told you that I believe that in 2027, our people are still going to go for a southern candidate because they believe that it is still the turn of the South, and I need to align with the views of my people,” he stated.

He noted that although he lost Delta State in the presidential poll, the PDP won the governorship election three weeks later, highlighting the choice voters made between his candidacy and that of the party at the state level.

Reacting to criticisms against his decision to leave the PDP, Okowa dismissed concerns about political morality, arguing that the PDP had strayed from its founding principles.

“The PDP that we had from the beginning, the PDP that we thought we tried to build… yes, the PDP was useful to me, but I was also a player in the PDP from the beginning, from the formative stage.

“But that PDP that was formed in 1998 does not appear to me to be the same PDP that we are running at the moment.

“When you are tired of what is going on, and you do not seem to understand what is going on in a place that you call home, then you probably have to step out and find another home,” Okowa said.

Ex-vp dismisses Okowa’s claim

Atiku’s media adviser, Paul Ibe, dismissed Okowa’s assertion, insisting there had been no change in the former vice president’s status within the PDP.

“We had issued a statement to that effect where His Excellency addressed that issue (defecting from the PDP). So, I don’t know where that (Okowa’s claim) is coming from,” Ibe told Daily Trust on Tuesday.

Pressed further on Okowa’s reference to direct communication with Atiku, Ibe responded that any such conversation must have occurred some time ago and had been addressed by the April 4 statement.

“What I am saying is that His Excellency had issued a statement to that effect, addressing that particular issue. So, that statement remains; irrespective of what anybody may be saying,” he said.

Ibe shared the April 4 statement, which was titled ‘Reports of Atiku Abubakar’s resignation from PDP are malicious lies and a political hatchet job.’ In the statement, Atiku denied resigning from the PDP.

“His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President of Nigeria (1999–2007) and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has not – we repeat, has not–resigned from the PDP,” the statement read.

“He remains a steadfast, bona fide and loyal member of the party.”

The statement accused unnamed political actors of orchestrating the rumour to destabilise Atiku’s base.

“The source of this baseless rumour is a Facebook page peddling falsehoods… a calculated attempt to mislead the public and sow discord among the millions of Nigerians who look to Atiku Abubakar for direction and leadership,” it stated. “This is not just fake news – it is a crude, shameless political hatchet job.”

‘PDP not ready to compete in 2027’

Okowa said his defection from the PDP also stemmed from his conviction that the party is no longer capable of competing effectively in national elections, especially in 2027.

“Because of the events we see and the communications coming from the PDP leadership at the moment, it did not appear to us that, that was a proper political vehicle for us to continue in.

“It did not appear to us that the PDP was ready to be competitive in the 2027 elections,” he said.

He criticised the PDP leadership for rejecting potential alliances despite being an opposition party with a diminished presence nationwide.

He stated, “So, if a party appears, as led by the current leadership, to make a decision that they were not ready—they are in opposition with far fewer governors than the All Progressives Congress—and the party comes to a decision-making meeting and decides that there was a need for them to continue alone, and they were not ready for alliances or mergers with other political parties, the question is, how do they truly want to compete?”

According to him, the party’s internal instability, including unresolved leadership issues and court cases, further demonstrated its unreadiness.

“Having looked at this very thoroughly, along with many other things that have been happening within the party, such as various court cases and who exactly is the National Secretary of the party, and many other issues, we do not appear to be truly ready for competition in the 2027 elections,” he said.

Okowa debunked the claim that Atiku sidelined him in ongoing coalition talks, saying the decision to opt out of the proposed coalition was a joint one by his political base in Delta.

“He (Atiku) did invite me—and I discussed the matter with the governor (Oborevwori) and some of the leadership of our party. They were not entirely comfortable with a coalition that was being built that had less than two years until the primaries of the parties that will start next year.

“So we’re just one year away from competitive elections, and it doesn’t appear that a vehicle has been confirmed for that coalition. Nor does it appear to us as a state and as a political family that that coalition was going to be able to build strength within the short period available,” Okowa said.

He said extensive consultations were held with party leaders at the state, local government, and ward levels before deciding to align with the APC.

“That meeting resolved that it was best to move in the direction of the APC, rather than the coalition, because there’s still a lot of uncertainty about the coalition.

“It was not possible for them to agree that it was best to join the coalition. As to the PDP, the leadership had decided that, based on the way the party is going, we do not believe that we are going to be competitive enough. So we had two choices: either the APC or the coalition,” he said.

Okowa affirmed his support for President Bola Tinubu to complete two terms.

He stated, “For the stability of this nation, I also believe that, yes, President Bola Tinubu was elected president in 2023, and for the stability of Nigeria, it is best for us to have him complete his eight-year term.

“Then the presidency can move back to the North. I believe that is the right thing.”

‘Atiku on way out of PDP’

Okowa also alleged that Atiku was poised to leave the PDP.

He was responding to a question on whether he informed Atiku before defecting from the platform they both used two years ago to run for the presidency.

Okowa said he had informed Atiku there would be a stakeholders’ meeting of the PDP structure in Delta State and that the outcome of the meeting would determine his next direction.

“Actually, I did communicate with him that we were going to have stakeholders’ meetings.

“I did communicate that we would have the stakeholders’ meetings last week. It was going to be a leadership meeting, and the outcome of that meeting was going to determine our next path because we are no longer comfortable with the PDP.

“I also know that he [Atiku] was already leaving the PDP from the communications he passed on to me, and that Nigerians already know,” Okowa said.

Okowa a betrayer – PDP

In an interview with Daily Trust yesterday, the PDP’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi, described Okowa as a betrayer.

He stated: “Okowa is not in the position to speak for the PDP, certainly not with this unprecedented level of cowardice and he is not in the position to predict or determine the chances of the PDP in 2027.

“From the word go some of us saw the tendencies of his betrayal before he moved to the APC. Again, we did not agree with the choice of Okowa in 2023 as running mate because of the deficiency in his political structure from Delta and South-South in general.

“It is clear that he (Okowa) was not the right person to have been chosen in the face of more suitable candidates who could have garnered the political capital for PDP to win the election.

“Even the committee constituted by the NWC under the directive of Atiku, he (Okowa) was the last in the list. Nyesom Wike, first; Udom Emmanuel, second and Okowa. It was clear that he was a weak political leader and he did not have the structure and capability to add value to the PDP ticket in 2023.

“One of the reasons he has joined the APC is because of corruption linked to his name, which he will be forgiven the moment he joined the APC”

‘No ill feelings over defections’

Asked whether Atiku was concerned that his former running mates—Peter Obi in 2019 and Okowa in 2023—had both left the PDP, Ibe said the former vice president respects political realignments.

“His Excellency has said it over time that with the nature of politics, there will always be alignment and realignment and people must learn to respect the freedom of association.

“He does not believe that everybody must be in his boat. That’s a recipe for dictatorship.

“People are free to make whatever choice and that should be respected,” Ibe stated.

Atiku, who recently announced the formation of a coalition of opposition parties aimed at unseating President Bola Tinubu in 2027, was notably flanked at the announcement by former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who recently joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP), and Dr Yunusa Tanko, representative of 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Peter Obi. Okowa, however, was conspicuously absent.

Following a high-profile visit by Atiku and coalition members to former President Muhammadu Buhari in Kaduna—believed to be part of efforts to win over Buhari’s former political base, speculation had grown about Atiku’s possible move to the SDP, reportedly being considered as the special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the opposition alliance ahead of 2027.

Nigerians will speak in 2027 – PDP

Despite the wave of defections, the PDP has said that it remains confident of its chances in the 2027 general elections, insisting that power ultimately rests with the Nigerian people.

Speaking after a meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday, Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum said the defections should not be seen as a death knell for the party.

He stated: “Elections are not decided by leaders, but by the people,” Damagum told journalists.

“The PDP is still a political brand that other parties envy. Instead of demoralising us, these defections should energise us to roll up our sleeves, because come 2027, Nigerians will speak,” he said.

While avoiding responding directly to Okowa’s recent claims, Damagum criticised the APC for allegedly resorting to coercion.

“They can cajole and intimidate, but when the time comes, they will receive the result from Nigerians. It has happened before and it will repeat itself,” he said.

He also accused the APC-led government of insensitivity and poor governance.

“The parameters that will make Nigerians revolt against them are all in place. This government has been so insensitive to the yearnings and feelings of the people. They have nothing so far. They have not shown any remorse.

He added, “We are not a conquered people. When the time comes, Nigerians will show them that they have rights”.

Reassuring party supporters, Damagum stressed that the real political contest lies ahead, saying, “2027 is not about the PDP alone—it is between Nigerians and Tinubu and the APC. I want to urge our supporters to remain calm.”

PDP asks Delta governor to vacate his seat

Meanwhile, Damagum added that the National Working Committee has instructed its national legal adviser to approach the court over the defections.

He said the PDP national leadership also directed the Emma Ogidi-led South-South zonal caretaker executive to take charge of the running of the party’s affairs in Delta State, pending the constitution of a caretaker committee in the state.

The zonal committee was, therefore, mandated to move to Delta to take stock of the party’s inventory towards recovering them.

Damagum affirmed that the NWC deliberated on the recommendations of the state governors on the position of the National Secretary and approved the recommendation of the Governors Forum to allow the National Executive Committee (NEC) to have the final say.

Sule Lamido: Tinubu using Nigeria’s resources to cripple opposition

Also weighing in, a former Jigawa State governor and PDP founding member, Sule Lamido, accused President Tinubu of weaponising state power against the opposition, warning that such actions are dangerous for Nigeria’s democracy.

Speaking in an interview with the BBC on Tuesday, Lamido described recent political developments as a familiar pattern of authoritarian drift.

“When you see intimidation and harassment, these are signs of a government coming to an end. Historically, this is how it begins,” he said.

He noted that while Tinubu is a member of the APC, as president he is expected to govern equitably.

“I have said severally that while Tinubu is an APC member, as President of Nigeria, he is a leader to all Nigerians. Therefore, he should not discriminate between PDP and APC. He is expected to be just to all as a good leader,” he said.

Lamido alleged that Tinubu “is now using the country’s resources, which belong to all Nigerians, to cripple the opposition. This is a wrong move, and if care is not taken, he will also be consumed.”

Dismissing concerns over defections from the PDP, Lamido urged the public to look beyond party lines.

“We are talking about Nigeria, and you are talking about PDP. We are talking about Nigeria’s future, unity, stability, peace, and democracy, and you are here talking about PDP,” he said.

He cautioned Nigerians not to view Tinubu’s actions as attacks on a single party, saying “What he (Tinubu) is doing presently is trying to destroy Nigeria’s democratic tenets. Stop seeing his actions as if he is harming PDP alone.”

On the internal rifts within the PDP, Lamido expressed dismay over Okowa’s defection. “Just look at Okowa—the highest position given to him was to serve as a running mate to our presidential candidate. But see what he did. Why didn’t he leave the party six months ago? Personally, I’m ashamed,” he said.

He said it is unacceptable for any president to use public office to target opponents.

“If it is a struggle between PDP and APC, that’s a different thing. But a Nigerian president, who should protect the interests and rights of all citizens—PDP, APC, or those not in politics—is now providing support to fight us. What should we do,” he asked.

The presidency has repeatedly denied such allegations, maintaining that all defections to the ruling party have been voluntary.

Daily Trust, with additional reports by: Baba Martins (Abuja) & Mohammed Ibrahim Yaba (Kaduna)