2023: Okowa opens up on perceived rift with Wike, Ibori, others

Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has opened on the perceived rift between Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers and himself since he was picked as the vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party by the party’s flag bearer, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Speaking with BBC Pidgin English programme on Monday, August 1, Okowa who answered questions on varied areas pertaining to the PDP, his Rivers counterpart, Nyesom Wike, Delta State politics, among others, assured Nigerians that talks with Wike would soon yield positive result and its outcome announced to all in a matter of days.

He said in a contest like the primary election the PDP organised to pick its presidential candidate, disagreements were bound to erupt.

He assured that the party had its internal mechanism to resolve such issues.

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Asked if he had had any personal discussion with Wike since after the convention, the governor told the BBC that: “We are friends. Issues like this are taken one after the other. Wike has worked hard for the party, just like some of us.”

Speaking on the chances of the PDP at the forthcoming general elections, given the array of heavyweights and the social media build up for Labour Party’s Peter Obi, Okowa said: “Atiku has an enormous experience behind him.

“He was the vice president under former president Olusegun Obasanjo. That administration worked very hard to pay off accumulated debt it inherited and also made enormous savings in our foreign reserves.

“Nigeria needs the PDP and Atiku at this time because we need to work on areas that the present administration has caused severe structural damage, especially on the foundation of Nigeria.”

Speaking on the social media build ups by youths ahead of next year’s election, Okowa disclosed that: “We are already talking to the youths not to allow the current situation in the country make them take wrong political decisions ahead of next year’s election.”

On Delta, Okowa reassured Nigerians that in the fullness of time, the PDP would be on the ballot for next year’s governorship election in the state.

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He allayed fears in some quarters following ongoing litigations around the candidature of Sheriff Oborevwori that “no matter the situation – one way or another – the party and its candidate will be on the ballot.

On Ibori, he said: “On personal level, we are friends. What’s happening in the state is politics. No cause for worries.

“Ibori is a PDP leader and I am the state governor. What you are seeing is a party process.”

He said the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was working round the clock to resolve all issues that cropped up from the Party’s special convention held in March this year.

Okowa is the running mate to the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in next year’s presidential election. Atiku defeated Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, to emerge the party’s flagbearer.