Politics
Okowa never regretted running with Atiku – Aide
Former Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, never expressed regret over running as the vice-presidential candidate alongside Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election.
This clarification was made on Wednesday by Mr. Olisa Ifeajika, Executive Assistant to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori on Public Enlightenment (Projects and Policies), during a press conference in Asaba.
Ifeajika, who also served as Chief Press Secretary to Okowa, debunked reports circulating in the media which suggested that the former governor regretted being on the PDP ticket with Atiku. He said those claims were a misrepresentation of Okowa’s recent interview with Arise Television.
“The immediate past Governor Okowa never said he regretted being on that ticket with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. He also did not say that he regretted being the vice presidential candidate of the PDP,” Ifeajika stated.
He explained that Okowa was asked during the interview about the PDP’s poor performance in Delta State, despite being on the ticket.
“Okowa said it was discovered during the campaign that southern Nigerians had largely resolved to support a president from the South. That was what played out in the election,” he noted.
According to him, this southern sentiment benefited both President Bola Tinubu and Labour Party’s Peter Obi, reflecting the people’s desire for power to return to the South.
Ifeajika added that this regional push, coupled with the momentum of the ‘Obidient’ movement, significantly affected the PDP’s performance in the South during the 2023 elections.
He insisted that despite the political headwinds, Okowa remained committed to the PDP, having been duly nominated as Atiku’s running mate and being a loyal party member.
“Though the people in the South were focused on power shift, the PDP opened its nomination process, and Atiku and Okowa emerged. Okowa had the profile and was selected. As a committed party man, he stayed the course,” he said.
He also described the media reports quoting Okowa as regretting his role in the Atiku ticket as uncharitable and inaccurate.
“That interpretation was wrong. If the reporter was doing interpretative journalism, it completely misrepresented what Okowa said,” he added.
On speculations of Okowa defecting to the APC due to alleged investigations by the EFCC, Ifeajika said such claims were false.
He noted that Okowa had responded to petitions before the anti-graft agency, and the EFCC had not re-invited him, as the information he provided was not contradicted.
“The defection talk is not about EFCC. PDP is in crisis; if you liken the party to a human being, it is seriously hemorrhaging,” he said.
He described the mass defection of Delta PDP leaders on April 28 as unprecedented, saying it was a united decision by stakeholders to leave a faltering national platform.
Ifeajika also clarified that the relationship between former governors Chief James Ibori and Dr. Okowa remained cordial despite the political developments.
