President Bola Tinubu has hailed the mass defection of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and the entire state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) as a “political tsunami.”
Speaking through Vice President Kashim Shettima during a formal welcome ceremony on Monday, April 28, in Asaba, Tinubu said no political shift in Nigeria’s history matched what happened that day.
“Today’s movement is a political tsunami of unimaginable proportion that has ever happened in the south-south subregion and in the history of Nigeria,” the president said.
He noted the scale of the defection, which included all National Assembly members from Delta, the Speaker and members of the State House of Assembly, the governor’s cabinet, 25 local government chairmen, and 500 councillors.
“A tsunami of this proportion has never happened before,” Tinubu stated.
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The president added that the development served as clear proof against critics who doubted the APC’s appeal.
He praised the move as a sign of the party’s enduring promises and celebrated the courage of those who switched sides.
APC National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, who handed over the party’s flag to Oborevwori, called the move historic.
Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State praised Oborevwori’s development efforts and pledged support from the APC governors.
Okowa said the decision was collective, insisting Delta must move forward with the APC. Oborevwori called the move a “statement” that other opposition states would follow, pledging strong leadership for the APC in Delta.
The ceremony attracted several APC heavyweights, including 16 governors, ministers, senators, and party leaders.