The defection of Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has continued to stir mixed reactions across the state, with many expressing shock and disappointment over the governor’s decision.
Former Deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George alleged Presidency and All Progressives Congress, APC are using instruments of state to coerce PDP governors to defect to its fold.
The allegation is coming amid the defection of the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, the immediate past governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, and all members of the party to APC in the State.
The PDP chieftain urged Deltans not to follow Oborevwori to APC, saying Delta is a PDP state from 1999 and it shall remain so.
The announcement of defection was made on Wednesday in Asaba, the Delta State capital, by Senator James Manager, shortly after a meeting that lasted over six hours at Government House, Asaba.
Manager stated, “All PDP members in the state, including the governor, former Governor Okowa, the Speaker, the state party chairman, all the local government chairmen and others, have agreed to move to the APC.
“We cannot continue to be in a sinking boat,” he said.
The State Commissioner for Information, Mr Aniagwu Charles, officially confirmed the governor’s defection and the collective decision of Delta PDP leaders and stakeholders to join the APC.
“There is a need for us to adjust our drinking patterns. And in adjusting that drinking pattern, we needed to make a decision that would further help to cement the development in our state, to build the court of law that has existed in our state, to further advance the cause of security and the welfare of our people, and, to a large extent, ensure that development in Delta is not truncated,” Aniagwu stated.
He continued, “In taking that decision, we concluded that leaving the PDP was very necessary for us to be able to collaborate and build a state that every Deltan will be proud of. We believe that what is happening, and the state of the PDP, is akin to that palm wine whose taste has changed — and there was a need for us to change the drinking party.”
Charles added that the decision was unanimously made by party leaders and stakeholders, hinting at a formal public declaration soon.
“By the grace of God, on Monday next week, we will be able to make a very big statement confirming that we are moving into the APC,” he said.
The move marks a significant turning point in Delta State politics, signalling a broader political recalibration that could reshape party dominance in the South-South region.
In his reaction, Bode George said, “I am shell-shocked. How can our governors from an organized party defect to an unorganized party like APC with only two people – Tinubu and Ganduje – dictatorially controlling the party?
“APC is a party of strange bed-fellows and I urge Deltans not to follow Oborevwori to APC because Delta is a PDP state from 1999 and it shall remain so.”
He further alleged, “Presidency and APC are using instruments of state to coerce PDP governors to defect to APC. They are being threatened.
“PDP sponsored Oborevwori as candidate. So, he has to leave office. Attempts to turn Nigeria to a one-party state will fail. What has APC done since 2015 that will warrant any PDP governor to defect to the party?” He queried.
Also, Ijaw rights activist, Mr. Austin Ozobo, took to his Facebook page to voice his disapproval, stating that he felt betrayed by the governor’s move. “It is no longer news about Governor Oborevwori’s defection to APC. It is sad. I never knew you (the governor) would kill PDP in Delta for personal gains,” he wrote.
Similarly, some PDP members who spoke under condition of anonymity expressed deep dismay, saying the governor’s action was a slap in the face of the party’s loyalists who toiled to see him elected. “It’s unfortunate that the governor will just do this to a party that stood by him during his election travails. We wish him well sha,” one of them lamented.
Others said Governor Oborevwori could have remained in the PDP while aligning politically with President Bola Tinubu, as former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike had done. “Banking on any under-the-table agreement with the APC over 2027 is risky. They could shock him. You don’t rely on political promises for a second term,” one party faithful warned.
However, not all responses were critical. Former Organizing Secretary of the APC in Delta State, Sir Sunny Mene, welcomed the governor and his team into the APC fold, likening political parties to churches with open doors.
“Political parties are like churches — the gate is always open for new converts. The more, the merrier. As a leader of the APC in the state, I can only say that the governor and others are welcomed,” Mene said.
Governor Oborevwori’s defection, alongside that of his predecessor Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and other key PDP stakeholders, marks a significant shift in Delta’s political landscape, leaving the once-dominant PDP in a state of uncertainty ahead of the 2027 elections.
Similarly, a political advocacy group, Fix PDP, Fix Nigeria, has strongly condemned the defection of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), calling it a betrayal of trust and a major setback for the PDP.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Ejiro Moses described the governor’s decision as a clear act of political opportunism, warning that it will not go unchallenged. He also revealed that the group is set to mobilize against the governor’s re-election bid, positioning his defection as a central issue in the next electoral cycle.
“This is not just a political move; it’s a breach of the trust that millions of Deltans placed in the PDP,” Moses stated. “We view Governor Sheriff’s defection as a betrayal of the party’s ideals and of the voters who supported him under the PDP platform.”
Governor Oborevwori’s move is historic, marking the first time since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999 that a sitting governor in Delta State has defected from the PDP to another political party. The shift is expected to reshape the political landscape in the oil-rich state, with wide-ranging implications for party dynamics and voter sentiment.
The group’s sharp reaction underscores the internal tensions that defections often trigger within Nigerian political parties, especially when high-profile figures switch allegiances ahead of elections.
Fix PDP, Fix Nigeria affirmed its commitment to the PDP’s core values and vowed to hold the governor accountable for what it described as an “unprincipled abandonment of the people’s mandate.”
As the 2027 elections approach, the governor’s defection is likely to dominate political discourse in Delta State, with opposition forces seizing the moment to galvanize disenchanted voters.
The National Working Committee of All Progressives Congress (APC) under the leadership of His Excellency, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, CON, is highly elated by the decision of the Governor of Delta state, His Excellency Sheriff Oborevwori, to join our great Party, along with eminent leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including former Governor of Delta state and vice presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 presidential election, His Excellency Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, senior administration officials, leaders and members of the House of Assembly, local government chairmen and councilors in the state, and teeming leaders and members of the PDP.
Our great Party welcomes this important development, and assures the Governor and incoming leaders and members of Delta PDP of our fullest cooperation and accommodation in the APC family.
With this move, coming on the heels of steady decamping of PDP leaders and members across the state to APC, including members of Delta Unity Group in Ika federal constituency, we are delighted that Delta state, now an APC state, stands poised to contribute maximally to the success and realization of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and to the enduring good and prosperity of Deltans and all Nigerians.
Also, Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), has hailed the defection of Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, and ex- Governor Ifeanyi Okowa from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress, describing the development as a political turning point for the state.
Reacting via his X handle on Wednesday, the longtime APC loyalist and influential figure from Delta, declared the moment a long-awaited breakthrough for the APC in the state.
“Today is the day the Lord has made in Delta State. Finally, finally Delta is APC!” he wrote.
Keyamo attributed the shift to the leadership style of President Bola Tinubu, saying it was the president’s vision and inclusiveness that made the APC an attractive platform for leading political figures.
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“Thank you, Mr. President, for your leadership that has attracted the best to our Party,” he said.
In a public show of support, Keyamo referred to Oborevwori as his “leader and Governor,” commending him for what he called a bold and visionary decision.
“Thank you, my leader & Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori for your foresight and courage in taking this bold decision,” the minister added.
The defection of the Delta governor and top PDP stakeholders has sent shockwaves through the state’s political sphere and is expected to significantly alter the balance of power in the region as the 2027 elections approach.
It wourls be recalled that In a massive political realignment that reverberated across Delta State and beyond, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, and other stakeholders in the state have formally announced their resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Announcing the defection after a meeting with leaders and stakeholders of the Peoples Democratic Party in the state on Wednesday at Government House, Asaba, pioneer Chairman of the PDP in the state, Senator James Manager, said the decision was taken in consultation with various stakeholders across the state.
Manager said: “You have just been told about some of the things that have been happening in the PDP Delta State. Some consultations have been going on and the climax of these consultations is what you are seeing today.
“We have discussed and have disagreed to agree and it is a unanimous agreement. I am the pioneer state chairman of the PDP. But you cannot be in a boat that is 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.
“Few days ago, there was a resolution taken by the PDP Governor’s forum at Ibadan. Almost all the Governor’s where there and they resolved that they are not going 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 election in 2015 as a result of a merger which even included splinter groups from the PDP. There are also other reasons.
“Today Senator Anyanwu is the National Secretary of the party tomorrow is another person. The party must be positioned to go into an election to win. So you see that it is becoming very funny. The PDP is truly in trouble.
“If you look well, the current PDP state chairman was in the meeting, the governor was there, the Deputy governor, the immediate past governor, the speaker. All of these persons were in the meeting. National Assembly members and even the House of Assembly members. The who is who in Delta State was in the meeting to make this decision.”
Also, the State Commissioner for Works (Rural Roads) and Public Information, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, who also spoke, said the decision became necessary following the unfortunate happenings at the National level of the party.
“For some time now the media, particularly the social media have been awash as to what political decisions that we are going to be taking in Delta.
“While that was on, the governor and the leaders of the party have been very busy carrying out some necessary consultations and it is also part of that consultation that has resulted in this meeting today for the leaders of the PDP to be able to advise as to what necessary steps that needed to be taken.
“It is said that when the taste of the palm wine changes, the drinking pattern also changes and the leaders of the party were unanimous in their view that the political temperature has changed.
“And there was a need for change that will help cement the development in our state; to build the bond of love that has existed in our state and to further advance the security and welfare of our people.
“Like you know, every politics is local. So in taking this decision, we came to the inevitable conclusion that moving out of the PDP is very necessary for us to collaborate with our kits and kin and build that bond that we have been enjoying.
“We believe that what is happening in the PDP at the national can be likened to that Palm wine whose taste has changed and that is why this decision has been taken.
“By the grace of God, on Monday next week, we
would be able to make a bold statement that we are moving to the APC.”
With Oborevwori now in APC colours, the South‑South’s political map tightens as the new alignment enhances President Bola Tinubu’s re‑election calculus by adding roughly 1.4 million Delta votes to the ruling party.
At the meeting, all stakeholders, leaders and members of the PDP resolved to join Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to move to the APC and would be received at a rally by Vice President, Kashim Shettima at the Cenotaph, in Asaba, on Monday.
In attendance at the meeting were, the State Deputy Governor, Sir Monday Onyeme, immediate past Governor of the State and former Vice-Presidential candidate of the party, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, members of the National Assembly, Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Emomotimi Guwor, members of the State House of Assembly, Commissioners, Local Government Council Chairmen, top governlylylment functionaries, stakeholders, leaders and party officials.
