Former Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, has admitted that accepting to run as vice-presidential candidate alongside Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 election was a political mistake that didn’t reflect the mood of the people he served.
Speaking on The Morning Show on Arise Television on Tuesday, April 29, Okowa said he realised early in the campaign that many in the South, particularly in Delta, were not keen on another northern president succeeding Muhammadu Buhari.
But by then, the decision had already been made by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and he had accepted the nomination.
“Even when we were campaigning, I realised our people were not interested in having another northerner come into power,” Okowa said.
“But the decision had already been taken at the federal level by the party, and I had been nominated. Still, in retrospect, I now believe I should have gone with the will of my people.”
Okowa said that disconnect may have contributed to the PDP’s loss in Delta State during the presidential election. But just three weeks later, the party bounced back in the governorship election, winning 21 out of 25 local governments.
“That showed the people still believed in us, believed in me,” he said. “They said you’ve done well, and we will support the governor you have chosen. And they did.”
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He also addressed speculations that his defection to the APC was to seek protection from corruption allegations. He rejected the claim, saying he had not been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and had nothing to hide.
“I did well for the people of the state,” he said. “Petitions can be written by anybody, but whatever petitions are written, the right of investigation is with the EFCC. So, there are no fears concerning that at all.”
Okowa explained that his decision to switch parties was not made lightly. According to him, he consulted widely with Delta’s political leaders before concluding that remaining in the PDP would continue to deny the state access to federal opportunities.
He dismissed moral criticisms over his defection, pointing out that the PDP he helped build in 1998 was no longer the same.
“Yes, I was a key player in the PDP from the formative stages, but the PDP of today is not the same party we built in 1998,” Okowa said. “When you find that the values and vision you once believed in are no longer there, then you step away.”
He also denied ever speaking with APC chieftain Adams Oshiomhole until recently, saying: “I have never spoken to Adams Oshiomhole; we talked for the first time only yesterday because we are of different political parts and because we are of different political parts we were not friends per se.”