‘He couldn’t win his state’ – PDP chieftain downplays Okowa’s defection to APC

A former National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Jacob Mark, has poured cold water on the recent defection of former Delta State Governor and 2023 vice presidential candidate Ifeanyi Okowa to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing it as politically inconsequential.

Speaking on Arise News following Okowa’s high-profile move alongside Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and several lawmakers, Mark said the defection would not cause any “tsunami” within the PDP ranks.

“Truthfully, there is no political party that will celebrate the departure of a sitting government. But whether that amounts to an earthquake is something else to discuss,” he said.

Okowa, who served as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate during the 2023 presidential election, failed to secure a victory for the PDP in his home state—a failure Mark said calls into question the political weight Okowa carries.

“If he could not deliver his state to the PDP even as a vice presidential candidate, what tsunami can his defection possibly cause?” Mark asked rhetorically.

He emphasised that political loyalty in Delta State tends to be voter-driven rather than dictated by elite influence.

“The people of Delta State have consistently displayed electoral capacity to think for themselves. They take decisions beneficial to themselves, not necessarily those of stakeholders, governors, or senators,” Mark said

The PDP stalwart further argued that Okowa's move likely reflects personal or strategic interests rather than widespread grassroots support.

“It is possible that the governor and the former governor have their interests, which may not align with those of the electorate,” he added.

Political parties lack ideologies in Nigeria - Mark

He also questioned the motivations behind defections in Nigerian politics more broadly, suggesting that ideology rarely plays a role.

“We are not operating based on any ideology. All the political parties are the same. People move for appointments, personal negotiations, and political mileage,” Mark stated.

While acknowledging that defection is a constitutional right, he stressed that whether the APC gains meaningful ground in Delta remains to be seen.

“It’s questionable whether, indeed, having moved to the APC, the people will follow him,” he said.

The defection, which included not just Okowa and Oborevwori but also several National and State Assembly members and local government officials, was hailed by the APC as a major coup.

However, critics like Mark argue that such moves are more theatrical than transformative, at least until they are tested at the ballot box.