PDP Acting Chairman Reacts To Delta Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s Defection To APC

Umar Damagum

Umar Damagum, the acting national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has expressed displeasure over the defection of the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori and the former vice presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa, to the All Progressives Congress (APC)

Speaking during the presentation of a certificate of return to Ezenwafor Jude, the PDP’s governorship candidate in Anambra, Damagum expressed disappointment over the development, particularly in light of the party’s longstanding support for Delta State leaders.

The defection comes amid a wave of high-profile exits from the PDP to the ruling APC, with reports indicating that other governors and key party members are also considering the move. Damagum, however, insisted that the 2027 general election will not be decided by the number of governors aligned with a party but by the will of the Nigerian people.

“If there’s any state that should not have taken this path, it is Delta,” Damagum said. “We gave them everything — support for the governor and even the former governor, our vice presidential candidate in 2023. We least expected this action from them.”

Damagum emphasized that the forthcoming election will be a contest between the APC and ordinary Nigerians affected by President Bola Tinubu’s policies. “The ordinary man is feeling the pain, and the decision is his. It is APC versus Nigerians,” he said, urging the public to unite and take charge of the political direction of the country.

He stressed that the defection was not motivated by any wrongdoing on the part of the PDP, as even the defectors acknowledged the party’s support. “It is a decision taken by them, but the pains will be in us, not because of anything, but because we have given Delta State all our support,” he said.

Despite the setback, Damagum reassured party members that the PDP remains resilient. “We’ve weathered worse storms before and we’re still standing,” he said.