“As Vice Presidential Candidate, Okowa Was Of No Use To PDP” – Mark

By Gideon Njoku

The exit of a former Governor of Delta State, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC, cannot be described as a tsunami. That is the opinion of a former National Legal Adviser of the PDP, Mark Jacob.

Here is why, according to him.

As PDP’s Vice Presidential Candidate, Jacob recalls, Okowa, a sitting Governor then, made no positive impact on the fortunes of the Party. He was unable to deliver Delta State to the PDP. So, reasoned Jacob, what possible impact would his exit from the PDP now  have on the Party?

Jacob spoke on Arise TV in reaction to the unprecedented dumping of the PDP by the whole Party structure in Delta State which includes the Governor, Sherrif Oborevwori, Okowa, all Members of the PDP in the National Assembly and State Assembly, all State Executive Council Members, and all Local Government Area Chairmen, their Vice Chairmen and Councillors.

President Bola Tinubu described it as a political tsunami. But Jacob disagrees.

While Jacob admits that no political Party should celebrate the loss of its sitting State Governor, he doubts any negative impact Okowa’s dumping of the Party would have on it.

His words: “Truthfully, there is no political party that will be celebrating the departure of a sitting Governor. So, truth be told, that it is a big one for a sitting Governor to leave a political party. But whether that amounts to an earthquake is something else to discuss because we all know that in the 2023 election, the former Governor of Delta State was the running mate to Atiku Abubakar, and he could not deliver his State to the PDP.

“So, sometimes, these big men have their role, but their level of control politically, and when it comes to elections is something that must be interrogated. As a running mate, if he could not deliver his State, it goes a long way to say what tsunami he can cause by being in APC.

“And, particularly, also, when you look at the State where this is happening, the people of Delta State have consistently displayed electoral capacity to think for themselves, to take decisions that are beneficial to themselves, not necessarily the decisions of  stakeholders or Governors or Senators, the people of Delta State must be respected.

“It is possible that the Governor and the former Governor have their interests which may not be the same interest as the interest of the electorate. And this must be put in perspective.

“And, just like I said, the example I gave, he didn’t move the people to vote for him, even when the people had a chance of having a Vice President from their State.

“So, it is questionable whether indeed, having moved to the APC, the people will follow him.”

For the records, when Rotimi Amaechi, the former Governor of Rivers State dumped the PDP for the APC in 2015, the people did not move with him. Not only did Rivers vote PDP in the Presidential Election, Amaechi could not install his successor. PDP’s Candidate, Nyesom Wike, won the Governorship election.

Same scenario, also, played out in Zamfara State when Governor Bello Matawalle ditched the PDP for the APC. He lost his reelection for a second term  and the APC did not win the State in the Presidential Election.