Governors of Delta and Akwa Ibom States, Sheriff Oborevwori and Umo Eno, have defended their decisions to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that the move was made voluntarily and in the best interest of their states.
Naijaonpoint reports that their response comes in the wake of claims by PDP chieftain, Kola Ologbondiyan, who stated that governors elected under the opposition party’s platform are being “harassed and forced” to join the APC.
Ologbondiyan, a former PDP National Publicity Secretary, made the assertion while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Tuesday, suggesting that PDP governors were under pressure to defect to the ruling party.
He said, “Talking about the Rivers situation, I will be honest and I think that the PDP did all it could, some on a negative side, others on a positive side.
“I think the takeaway for the Peoples Democratic Party in this matter is that its governors are being harassed.
“They are being humiliated, and whether they can openly say it or not, they are being forced to abandon their party and join the All Progressives Congress, which is President Bola Tinubu’s political party.”
In response, Governor Oborevwori stated that the decision to leave the PDP was not made under coercion, but rather out of strategic alignment with the Federal Government for the benefit of the state.
The governor said through his Chief Press Secretary, Festus Ahon, in an interview with Punch, “Nobody forced anyone to join APC. We joined APC on our own for the interest of Deltans and to bring development to the state.
“Delta has been in the opposition since 2015. We cannot continue to remain in opposition. So, we decided to join APC to key into the government at the centre.”
Also reacting, APC Director of Publicity, Bala Ibrahim, described Ologbondiyan’s claims as “insulting and speculative,” urging him to provide evidence.
He said, “For him to say they were coerced or forced, it means he does not believe these governors have the liberty or courage to choose a better platform.
“That is an insult to their personalities. If he has proof, he should bring it forward. Otherwise, he is just peddling speculation — an antidote to democracy.”
Ibrahim further argued that the growing defections were a sign of confidence in President Tinubu’s leadership, adding that governors were witnessing unprecedented financial support from the APC-led federal government.
“Never in their history as governors have they received so much money as they are receiving now because of the reforms made,” he added.
In a similar tone, retired Group Capt. Sam Ewang, a former Military Administrator of Ogun and Rivers states, insisted that internal issues within the PDP and local realities were the real push factors for the defections.
He said, “I want to believe that it’s the circumstances and the workings of PDP that are forcing them to defect.
“That is the circumstance and needs of the people, because like here in Akwa Ibom State, Gov Umo Eno consulted very widely and everybody told him to leave to avoid disappointment from PDP and himself.”
But a PDP chieftain in Akwa Ibom State, Tom Fredfish, countered the governors’ claims, accusing them of betraying the PDP for personal gains.
He said, “I don’t believe that anyone can force anyone out of his wish. Those who defected were governors who defected out of greed and the quest to struggle for political power.
“They defected to keep their political capital and because of that, they decided to move a structure that was given to them free to another party that they believed was secure to guarantee their re-election.
“They are not democrats, they only pretended to be democrats. They feared that they were going to be frustrated, and for them to be re-elected, they had to join the train.”