Former Governor of Delta State and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential running mate in the 2023 election, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Okowa confirmed the news of his defection to ARISE NEWS on Wednesday following the announcement of the current governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, who also defected from the PDP to the APC on Wednesday.

The development was disclosed by Senator James Manager after a six-hour meeting at Government House, Asaba.

“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,” Manager stated. “We cannot continue to be in a sinking boat.”

Delta State Commissioner for Information, Mr Aniagwu Charles, officially confirmed the sweeping political shift, attributing the decision to the need for renewed direction and enhanced governance in the state.

“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,” he said.

Aniagwu added that the move aimed to sustain progress in law, security, and welfare, likening the PDP to a “palm wine whose taste has changed,” necessitating a change in “drinking party”.

He further indicated that the defection was unanimously agreed upon by key PDP leaders and stakeholders in the state, with a formal public declaration expected on Monday.

“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 mass defection represents a dramatic realignment in Delta State’s political landscape and could significantly alter party dynamics in the broader South-South region, historically a PDP stronghold.

Okowa will be received on Monday by Vice President Kashim Shettima alongside Governor Oborevwori.

Ben Nwoye, the former chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Enugu, has resigned his membership of the party.

Nwoye announced his departure from the party during a press conference in Enugu on Thursday, citing a resignation letter addressed to the Amurri Ward chairman.

Nwoye, who served as the chairman of the APC in the state between 2014 and 2021, said the party in the south-east is plagued by “vindictive politics”.

He also cited an “irreconcilable internal crisis” in Enugu and across the south-east as his reason for quitting the ruling party.

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“With a deep sense of responsibility, I write to inform you that I hereby resign as a member of APC,” he said.

Nwoye said the Enugu chapter of the party had disintegrated beyond repair, adding that there are only two skeletal factions of the APC left in the state, each controlled by opposing leaders.

“The bunch of the broom, which we painstakingly tied together in 2013 at a time when we were called unprintable names, has loosened and permanently scattered,” he said.

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“All efforts made by the party elders to gather the broom and reassemble it have failed.

“In its current form, further attempts to reassemble the broom in Enugu state is no longer practicable.

“One of the strong men claims chairmanship by judicial pronouncement; the other claims chairmanship through arrogant disobedience of the same judicial pronouncement, aided by the silent approval of the national leadership.

“To them, the supremacy of the party is measured by how low they could go to oppress their perceived political enemies.

“These they do, without recourse to the core principles upon which APC stands—justice, peace, and unity.

“To say the least, the zonal leadership in the south-east has lost direction.”

The ex-chairman alleged that the APC national leadership has “ignored the Enugu crisis, disregarding reconciliation calls and alienating loyal members, exacerbating party conflicts”.

He added that the party’s regional leadership is not interested in expanding beyond the two states it currently controls.

“In the meantime, the national leadership of the party is basking in the euphoria of power, being the party under which the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the majority of the members of the national assembly were elected,” he said.

“The APC national leadership has therefore maintained willful blindness; hence, allowing the warring factions to self-destruct and strangulate the party in Enugu state.

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“Loyal party members calling for party unity are treated like conquered and captured political warriors.

“On the basis stated above, I engaged in extensive consultations with my grassroots followers, and I have come to the conclusion that it is time to move on.

“I am not a political prisoner. I have never been, and I can never be.”

Nwoye added that the problems in Enugu are also evident in other south-east states.

He cited the case of Anambra, where, according to him, the party leadership ignored the input of a senior figure before picking its governorship candidate.