The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been hit by political haemorrhage as the governor of Delta State, Mr Sheriff Oborevwori, his predecessor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa and all members of the party in the state have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The pioneer chairman of the Delta State PDP and former senator representing Delta Central, Mr James Manager announced this while addressing journalists on Wednesday after a PDP stakeholders meeting at the Government House in Asaba.
“All PDP members in the state, including the governor, former Governor Okowa, the speaker, the state party chairman, all the local government chairmen and others, have agreed to move to the APC.
“We cannot continue to be in a sinking boat,” he said.
Manager stated that the decision to dump the PDP followed months of deliberations among key party figures.
“Consultations have been ongoing for quite some time now. What you are witnessing today is the culmination of those deliberations.
“We’ve had intense discussions — some of them contentious — but we eventually reached a near-unanimous consensus driven by the prevailing mood in the party,” he said.
He, however, admitted that the decision was difficult but necessary, considering that the PDP gave him the political oxygen to breathe.
“You cannot remain in a boat that is clearly capsizing. “As a liberal-minded person, I’ve tried to view the situation objectively, and the current realities have made it clear — it’s time to chart a new course,” he added.
To buttress the fact that the defection received a popular acclaim, Manager pointed to the large turnout at the meeting as evidence that the move had wide support among PDP stakeholders.
“As you can see from the mammoth crowd around you, this is not a solo decision. It reflects a shared vision among us.”
“It is a collective one, made for many reasons — reasons which I may not delve into at this moment,” he said.
Similarly, the state’s commissioner for information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, confirmed the governor’s defection and the collective decision of Delta PDP leaders and stakeholders to join the APC.
“There is a need for us to adjust our drinking patterns. And in adjusting that drinking pattern, we needed to make a decision that would further help to cement the development in our state, to build the court of law that has existed in our state, to further advance the cause of security and the welfare of our people, and, to a large extent, ensure that development in Delta is not truncated.
“In taking that decision, we concluded that leaving the PDP was very necessary for us to be able to collaborate and build a state that every Deltan will be proud of. We believe that what is happening, and the state of the PDP is akin to that palm wine whose taste has changed — and there was a need for us to change the drinking party,” he said.
He also stated that the decision to abandon the PDP was born out of the need to align with a political platform that would better serve the development goals of the state and the interests of Deltans.
“For some time now, the media has been speculating about the political direction of Delta State.
“Our Governor and leaders have been carrying out wide consultations, and after careful deliberations, we reached a unanimous decision. The political temperature has changed — the taste of the palm wine, so to speak, has changed — and we must adjust our drinking pattern accordingly.”
“This move is aimed at ensuring that Delta State continues on the path of development, security, and progress. Remaining in the PDP, given the current circumstances, would only truncate that journey,” Aniagwu said.
He added that the decision was unanimously made by party leaders and stakeholders while declaring that “on Monday next week, we will be able to make a very big statement confirming that we are moving into the APC.
