Former Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has fired back at former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, over his criticism of Okowa’s recent defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying Saraki lacks the moral standing to comment on the matter.
Speaking on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Tuesday, Okowa responded to Saraki’s remarks in which the ex-Senate President described Okowa’s switch from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC as “shocking” and “unprecedented,” especially considering that Okowa was the PDP’s vice presidential candidate in the 2023 general election.
“It is shocking and unbecoming. It’s simply a sign of how low we have sunk as a polity,” Saraki had said in a statement following the wave of defections in Delta State.
However, Okowa dismissed the criticism, arguing that Saraki himself had defected from the PDP to the APC in the past and later returned, thereby lacking the moral right to question others’ political decisions.
“I did not expect that someone like Senator Bukola Saraki would comment about me. He has also moved to the APC before and eventually returned. So he has had movements to and fro. I don’t think he has the moral right to speak about my defection.”
Okowa explained that the decision to leave the PDP was not made in isolation but was a collective resolution by key political stakeholders in Delta State, including the current Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and several political appointees, citing unresolved internal issues within the PDP.
“Several things have been going on in the party. While I do not want to join issues with people, our leaders in this state have reviewed recent events and communications from the PDP leadership, and it became clear to us that the party is no longer the right political vehicle for Delta State ahead of 2027,” he said.
He also criticised the PDP’s leadership for rejecting calls for a coalition, warning that such internal disunity signaled that the opposition party was not prepared to offer a viable alternative in the next general election.
