Delta: Silence of Graveyard as PDP Collapses Structure into APC

Sylvester Idowu writes that there is more to last week’s defection of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and other top politicians from the People’s Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress in Delta State.

Ordinarily, whenever a party receives the defection of a big and considered asset politician, it rolls out the drum of celebration but that of the leadership of the Delta State People’s Democratic Party (PDP), from the incumbent Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, his predecessor and former Vice presidential candidate in the 2023 poll, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, the Deputy Governor, Monday Onyeme to the Speaker of the state house of assembly and entire structure from the state to the local government, wards and units to the ruling party last Wednesday was different.

Instead of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the oil rich state to celebrate over the defection, the reverse has been the case as it is the members of the defecting PDP that have been celebrating the acquisition of the hitherto APC in the state.

The People’s Democratic Party has had a firm grip on the state for almost 26 years since 1999, when the current political dispensation commenced, and superficially, there seemed to be no immediate threat to its dominance.

But Governor Oborevwori, his predecessor, Senator Okowa, did the unthinkable on Wednesday April 23, 2025. They unexpectedly moved all the entire state and People’s Democratic Party structure into the All Progressives Congress.

The leadership of the PDP in the state did not only direct the entire state structure, from the ward to the local government and state levels, but specifically instructed to disintegrate into the APC.

Signs of possible defection of some leaders of the People’s Democratic Party had been there for long but Deltans did not expect the dimension it has taken.

It was Senator Ned Nwoko that first defected from the People’s Democratic Party, the vehicle he used to ride into the National Assembly to the opposition All Progressives Congress in the state.

After months of battle between the Senator and leadership of the ruling People’s Democratic Party over the defection, suddenly strong member of PDP, Chief Great Ogboru, whose son is holding a political position in Oborevwori’s administration, also ported to the opposition All Progressives Congress without any criticism. That was when signs of what befalls the PDP was first noticed.

But last Wednesday, Governor Oborevwori and his predecessor, Okowa summoned an emergency meeting of all the party leadership at the end of which the governor and other participants in the meeting declared their resignations from the PDP.

Vice President KashimShettima, will receive the governor, Okowa, and other officials as they formally defect to the APC at the Cenotaph in Asaba today, Monday, April 28.

Explaining the overall realignment at the end of the meeting at Government House, Asaba, the first state chairman of PDP in Delta state, Senator James Manager, announced that Governor Oborevwori and other members had defected to the APC, claiming the decision was made following thorough discussions with other relevant parties.

According to him: ”You have just been told about the things happening in the PDP, Delta State. Some consultations have been going on, and the climax is what you see today.

We have discussed and have agreed, and it is a unanimous agreement. I am the pioneer state chairman of the PDP. But you cannot be in a boat already capsizing because I am a riverine man.

“Looking at issues the way they are, we have come to the inevitable conclusion to do something else. It is a collective decision for so many reasons”.

Manager said further “A few days ago, the PDP Governors’ Forum took a resolution at Ibadan. Almost all the governors resolved they would not go into coalition with any other party.

“But as disadvantaged as the PDP is now with about 11 governors, how do you go into a contest with an incumbent president? You think you can win? That particular resolution killed the spirit of so many PDP members.

“We lost the election in 2015 because of a merger that even included splinter groups from the PDP. There are also other reasons.

“Today, Senator Anyanwu is the national secretary; tomorrow, it is another person. The party must be positioned to go into an election to win. So, you see that it is becoming funny. The PDP is truly in trouble.

“The who’s who in Delta State were in the meeting to make this decision; if you look well, the current PDP state chairman was in the meeting, and the governor was there. The deputy governor, the immediate past governor, and the speaker. National Assembly members and House of Assembly members attended the strategic event”.

Political analysts believe that the latest political development in Delta is all about 2027. It is not that the PDP lost steam in the state but that it has been torn apart at the national level and so is not potent enough, in the opinion of some members, to wrest power from the current president, Senator Bola Tinubu of the APC, in 2027.

According to them, Oborevwori, Okowa, and other leaders reasoned that their political future is better off in the APC from 2027 than in the PDP, which might crumble because of the strong hold of its 2023 presidential candidate and former vice president, AlhajiAtikuAbubakar, on the party.

An APC leader in Delta State told THISDAY “We have concluded that we will take over the state in 2027, no matter how. We did it in Edo State last year, 2024, against the incumbent PDP governor, Godwin Obaseki, and the heavens did not fall.”

Prior to the acquisition of the APC in Delta State, the party had been divided into three different camps with the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Chief Festus Keyamo heading one faction, founder of the party in the state and former Governorship aspirant, O’tegaEmerhor leading another one and former Deputy President of the Senate, Chief OvieOmo-Agege presides over the third faction.

The crisis, which had polarized the party for sometimes now with each faction claiming the leadership was expected to resist the taking over of the party by PDP but surprisingly, two of the factions led by Keyamo and Emerhor welcomed the defection of the ruling party into their fold.

The former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator OvieOmo-Agege has also directed his followers to welcome the PDP members assuring that negotiations are on-going to accommodate their interests.

He also instructed them to turnout enmasse for the formal reception of the defecting members of the PDP in the state.

Fear of who becomes the leader of the APC in the state, it was learnt, is being addressed as negotiations and horse trading are on going to favour the defectors and their hosts in the newly acquired party.

Definitely,  Omo-Agege, hitherto the leader of the APC in Delta State will loose that position to Governor Oborevwori who will automatically become the leader of the party because as the sitting governor and now a member of the party, Oborevwori, by procedures and privileges, takes over as the leader of the APC in the state.

This is the recognized standard in the political parties in the country, including the APC and PDP.