Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, expressed his shock over the defection of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), alongside Atiku Abubaka 2023’s runing mate and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
He questioned how governors from a well-organized party like the PDP could choose to defect to a less organized party like the APC, which he noted is primarily represented by just two individuals: President Bola Tinubu and the party’s national chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje.
George made these remarks in response to the official announcement of the duo’s defection, which took place following a closed-door meeting at the Government House in Asaba on Wednesday.
Senator James Manager made this known after a meeting that lasted over six hours at the Government House, saying that the governor, former Governor Okowa, the Speaker, the state party chairman, and all local government chairmen, had agreed to join the APC as they could not “continue to be in a sinking boat.”
George, while expressing shock over the development, described APC as a party of strange bed-fellows, urging Deltans not to follow Oborevwori to APC “because Delta is a PDP state from 1999 and it shall remain so.”
The PDP chieftain, however, alleged that the presidency and APC were using instruments of state to coerce PDP governors to defect to the ruling party, but quickly said asserted that PDP sponsored Oborevwori as governorship candidate and, therefore, had to leave office, declaring that attempts to turn Nigeria to a one-party state would fail.
This was just as Chief George further wondered what APC had done since 2015 to warrant any PDP governor to defect to it.
“I am shell-shocked. How can our governors from an organised party defect to an unorganised party like APC with only two people – Tinubu and Ganduje – dictatorially controlling the party?
“APC is a party of strange bed-fellows and I urge Deltans not to follow Oborevwori to APC because Delta is a PDP state from 1999 and it shall remain so,” George said.
“Presidency and APC are using instruments of state to coerce PDP governors to defect to APC. They are being threatened.
“PDP sponsored Oborevwori as governorship candidate. So, he has to leave office. Attempts to turn Nigeria to a one-party state will fail. What has APC done since 2015 that will warrant any PDP governor to defect to the party?” he queried.
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