Former Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has said he regrets accepting to be the vice-presidential candidate for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential election. He said the decision did not reflect the wishes of his people in Delta State.
Okowa made this statement on Monday during an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show. He admitted that many people in the South, including Delta, wanted power to shift away from the North after President Muhammadu Buhari’s term.
Okowa said, “Even when we were campaigning, I realised our people were not interested in having another northerner come into power. But the decision had already been taken at the federal level by the party, and I had been nominated. Still, in retrospect, I now believe I should have gone with the will of my people.”
Okowa said his loyalty to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led him to accept the nomination, but the decision cost the party support in the presidential election. However, he noted that PDP bounced back in the governorship election weeks later.
He said., “That showed the people still believed in us, believed in me,” he said. “They said you’ve done well, and we will support the governor you have chosen. And they did.”
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Speaking on rumours that he joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) to escape possible arrest, Okowa denied any wrongdoing. He said he was never arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), although he once honored an invitation.
Okowa emphasised, “I did well for the people of the state. Petitions can be written by anybody, but whatever petitions are written, the right of investigation is with the EFCC. So, there are no fears concerning that at all.”
He also explained that his decision to join the APC came after wide consultations across Delta State. He said continued opposition politics had reduced the state’s access to federal resources and influence.
On critics who questioned his move after many years in PDP, Okowa responded: “Yes, I was a key player in the PDP from the formative stages, but the PDP of today is not the same party we built in 1998. When you find that the values and vision you once believed in are no longer there, then you step away.”
Okowa defended his record in office, highlighting improvements in infrastructure, free maternal and child healthcare, and a smooth transition to his successor, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori.