Former Delta State Governor and 2023 vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ifeanyi Okowa, has claimed that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar will soon dump the PDP.
According to Okowa, “Atiku is on his way out of the PDP.”
Naijaonpoint reports Okowa, who recently perfected his defection from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC), disclosed the news of Atiku’s pending defection during an interview on ARISE News on Tuesday.
He lamented that many members are not satisfied with happenings in the PDP, even as the nation inches towards the 2027 elections.
“I discussed the coalition with Atiku, who is on his way out of the PDP, before we moved to the APC,” Okowa revealed.
Coalition Movement
The former Delta State Governor added that the planned coalition being spearheaded by Atiku lacks 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.
Second Term For Tinubu
Okowa said Tinubu should be returned as the President of Nigeria in 2027. He argued that this 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 Move
He added during the interview that the defection from PDP to APC was not a personal decision, but a joint decision based on consultations with stakeholders in Delta State.
He maintained that the move was in the best interest of the people of the state.
“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.
“It was not just a decision of the governor or myself; it was the consensus of a broader political family in Delta.
“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.