The Peoples Democratic Party (APC) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Atiku Abubakar, has broken silence on the defection of his running mate and former Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Okowa alongside his successor, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, and PDP leaders in Delta State dumped the party for the APC on Wednesday, April 23, 2025.
Speaking in a statement on Friday, April 25, Atiku said the “freedom of association and expression are not optional in a democracy — they are fundamental rights.”
The former Vice President stated that he bears no grudges against anyone for exercising their right to political alignment, saying: “Defections, alliances, and realignments are part and parcel of democratic politics. We’ve seen them before, and we’ll see them again.”
Atiku added that some people have resorted to insulting him because he visited former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Atiku said: “Let’s not rewrite history: Buhari is not only a former leader but a significant statesman in the Nigerian political landscape.
“During the 2013 opposition merger, the leaders of the time consulted widely — including visits to Obasanjo and Babangida. So why is it now sacrilegious for me and other leaders to visit Buhari in Kaduna? If you truly believe in freedom of association, then you must respect the rights of all political actors to engage, regardless of party lines.
PDP chairman: Delta gov’s defection painful, 2027 election’ll be between APC, Nigerians
“When PDP leaders are busy sipping tea and brokering power deals with President Tinubu, it’s called strategic alliance. But the moment I greet Peter Obi, el-Rufai, or visit Buhari, it becomes a national emergency. Hypocrisy and the politics of selective outrage have never been this fashionable!”
He further berated the APC-led federal government over hardship in the country, saying the 2027 general election would not be about the PDP against the ruling party but the current administration against Nigerians.
The former vice president said: “The coming political battle is not APC versus PDP, or LP versus APC. It is Nigerians versus an administration that has plunged the nation into untold suffering.
“The economy is in freefall. Inflation is choking the masses. Jobs are vanishing. Youth restiveness is surging to terrifying levels. Nigerians are not just tired — they are angry, and rightfully so.
“This moment is about collective survival. The real enemy is not one another — it is the Tinubu administration’s abysmal failure.
“We must reject every attempt to distract us with ethnic, regional, or religious sentiments. These are tools of manipulation, designed to divide and conquer, used by those with nothing else to offer.
“The Tinubu administration has no achievements to stand on, no credible record to defend. Its only strategy is chaos and division, because that’s the last refuge of the incompetent. And make no mistake — an incompetent captain does not only wreck his ship; he endangers the lives of everyone on board.”
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