Okowa Defends Defection To APC, Says Tinubu Is Putting Nigeria On Right Path

By Sabiu Abdullahi

Former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has defended his decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and support President Bola Tinubu, saying the current administration is taking necessary steps to address Nigeria’s longstanding economic problems.

Okowa, who served as the running mate to former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential election, made the remarks on Saturday at the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The former governor said his assessment of Tinubu’s policies convinced him to abandon his previous political alliance and join the ruling party.

“You all know that in 2023 I was on another ticket, but I have seen the light, and I have seen what Mr president is doing for Nigeria,” Okowa said.

He described the President’s economic decisions as necessary for rebuilding the country, arguing that previous administrations had weakened Nigeria’s economic foundations.

“It is the right thing to be done, and I have long ago crossed to the APC to join hands with Mr president because he is truly building a new Nigeria.

“When the foundation is broken, you cannot do anything. Mr president realises that successive administrations have broken the foundations of Nigeria. And today, we are on the right course because that foundation is being put right.”

Okowa also credited the Federal Government’s fiscal reforms with improving the financial position of state and local governments, particularly through increased allocations.

“Today, our states and local governments are doing so well because Mr president has continued to mobilise resources for various states and our local governments,” Okowa said.

“We no longer talk about people owing salaries; we no longer talk about people owing pensioners. Our local governments are doing projects, our states are doing projects, and we can pay salaries.

“Only a man who understands a nation’s economy can do this. The wonders that were done in Lagos are already being done in our country, Nigeria.”

Okowa’s political shift marks a major departure from his alliance with Atiku during the 2023 presidential election.

Atiku selected him as his running mate in 2022, a decision that generated divisions within the PDP, particularly among members who favoured former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, for the position.

The Atiku-Okowa ticket eventually lost the presidential election to Tinubu and the APC.

In April 2025, Okowa publicly expressed regret over accepting the vice-presidential nomination, arguing that the PDP’s decision to field a northern presidential candidate despite expectations in the South contributed to the party’s poor performance in Delta State during the election.