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Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has put the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a precarious position in Delta State.
The defection happened three months after the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Festus Ahon, dismissed the rumour about his alleged plan to join the APC as speculations concocted by some APC elements.
Reacting to the speculation in January, Ahon said that given Oborevwori’s popularity and acceptance in Delta, the governor has no reason to dump the PDP for any other party.
According to him, the speculation was pushed because the APC — the opposition party at the time — was threatened by the rising acceptance and bridge-building efforts of the governor across political divides.
However, despite Ahon’s denial, Oborevwori’s rumoured plan to join the APC continued to swell.
To further dispel the speculation, the Delta State Commissioner for Works, Rural Roads and Public Information, Charles Aniagwu, while speaking on Arise TV on Friday, January 17, 2025, explained that the PDP remains a strong party in Delta State, adding that Governor Oborevwori doesn’t jump ship like other politicians.
“Oborevwori is not only a proud member of the PDP, and remains a proud leader of the PDP both in Delta and in Nigeria, he is also a performing governor, who has also been able to show that he can be regarded as the poster governor for the PDP. So, those who are wishing that he’s jumping ship, we want to tell them that Oborevwori is not in the business of jumping ship,” he said.
Also, when the defection rumour started, the PDP described it as a baseless and sinister speculation by jobless political hirelings and their ignoble sponsors.
The party, therefore, advised “members of the public to disregard the dubious speculation, assuring them that all that nothing can distract the governor.”
However, in a surprising twist, the governor, alongside his commissioners and his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, announced their defection to the APC.
Delta State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, cited the lingering crisis in the PDP as one reason for their defection.
“This move is aimed at ensuring that Delta State continues on the path of development, security, and progress. Remaining in the PDP, given the current circumstances, would only truncate that journey,” he said.
Meanwhile, Governor Oborevwori had somehow validated his rumoured defection when he ascribed his administration’s success to President Bola Tinubu’s performance.
The governor, while addressing Deltans in December 2024, declared his support for President Tinubu’s administration and also asked his people to support the president, noting that his administration would fail if Tinubu failed.
“Whether you like it or not, I will say it here, Mr. President, that you see, he is supporting this administration. God has made him president, as God has made me the Governor. So, as you are supporting me, support him,” Governor Oborevwori said.
While the APC rejoices over the defection of key political stakeholders in Delta State, the development puts the PDP in a precarious situation, as the party loses its over 25-year grip on the oil-rich state.