Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki and former Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa have traded tackkes over the latter’s defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Saraki fired the first salvo in a comment on Monday, saying Okowa’s defection was a reflection of deteriorating political values.
Describing the former Delta governor’s defection as disappointing, Saraki further stated that the action smacked of lack of ideological commitment that is capable of weakening the democratic process.
According to Saraki, having run as a vice presidential candidate of the PDP in 2023, Okowa ought not to have dumped the party for the APC.
But in a swift reaction, Okowa, speaking during an Arise TV interview on Tuesday, said Saraki lacked the moral standing to question his defection to the APC.
He reminded the former Senate President of his own defection from the PDP to the APC in 2014, saying, “I don’t think that Saraki has the moral right to even speak about my defection at all.”
According to Okowa, Saraki’s own history of defection from the PDP to the APC, has robbed him of the voice to speak about party loyalty.
The former Delta governor emphasised that defections are often influenced by many factors based on prevailing circumstances. He however, did not elaborate.
During the said TV interview, Okowa hinted that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is also on his way out of the PDP.
The former governor revealed that he had private discussions with Atiku about proposed coalition plans ahead of the 2023 general elections.
According to him, Atiku discussed strategies for the proposed coalition of opposition parties to challenge the ruling APC in 2027.
Okowa admitted to giving Atiku his word of commitment but that he was skeptical about the viability of the coalition plan.
“Atiku called and told me everything about the coalition, and I gave him my word. But I wouldn’t say it in public,” he said.
Okowa added that while he respected Atiku’s opinion about forming a coalition, he was not convinced of the alignment of the former vice president’s plans with the political realities on ground.
He further stated that the incumbent Delta governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, shared his concerns about the viability of Atiku’s proposed coalition.
The former governor attributed his decision to dump the PDP to absence of a clear strategy on the party of the main opposition party.
“The plans lacked clarity and did not align with our political instincts,” Okowa said.
He cited the protracted leadership crisis in the PDP as a major factor leading to the defection of the entire PDP structure to the APC.
The mass defection in Delta has exposed the lack of principles among politicians across party lines.
