Okowa, Oborevwori’s defection to APC vindicates critics of Atiku – Osita Okechukwu

Former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) and founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has hailed the recent defection of former Delta State governor and 2023 PDP vice-presidential candidate Ifeanyi Okowa, along with sitting Delta governor Sheriff Oborevwori, to the ruling party, describing the move as vindication for critics of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

In a statement issued on Thursday, Okechukwu said the defections reaffirm the position of those who opposed Atiku’s 2023 presidential ambition, accusing him of violating the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) zoning arrangement and breaching Section 7 of the party’s constitution, which emphasizes power rotation.

“His Excellency Sheriff is welcome to our great party, the APC. We will afford him the golden opportunity to continue to advance his good works,” Okechukwu stated, extending a warm welcome to Oborevwori and his political allies.

He argued that the decision by Okowa and Oborevwori to leave the PDP was an “unintended consequence of the unforced error” committed by Atiku and his supporters, who allegedly disregarded the party’s long-standing zoning convention.

READ ALSO: Tinubu accused of coercing opposition politicians to join APC ahead of 2027

Okechukwu stressed that those who once benefited from the rotational presidency policy were now the ones undermining it.

“One imagined then the irony that those who benefited immensely from the rotation convention were the ones who breached it,” he noted.

“Governor Sheriff and Co’s defection is the unintended consequence of such unforced error of demolishing the ligament holding our dear country.”

Okechukwu also criticized recent efforts within the PDP to recalibrate its power-sharing formula ahead of the 2027 elections, calling them awkward and disconnected from historical context.

“As per the 2027 presidential election, they’re at it again with an awkward permutation of 17 years South and 11 years North—as if Nigeria had independence in 1999,” he said.

He dismissed the notion that northern voters could be easily swayed, calling them among the “most sophisticated electorates in the country” and rejecting the idea that they could be “railroaded” into voting along party lines without discernment.

While expressing discomfort with the notion of a one-party dominant state, Okechukwu was confident that Nigeria’s political landscape would remain vibrant and dynamic.

“I am not a fan of a one-party state. But I’m not afraid either,” he said. “Because the internal political dynamics of Nigeria is combustible. As they join the APC, some are defecting—and it is the tale of defections and defections, thy kingdom come.”

The high-profile defections come at a politically sensitive time, as parties begin early positioning ahead of the 2027 general elections, with growing intrigue surrounding alliances, power rotation, and internal party restructuring.