….As Delta falls to APC, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa to follow
By Our Reporters
Oborewvori defected from the PDP along with the entire party apparatus, and carried in his tow, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, who, significantly, was the Vice Presidential candidate of the party in the last general elections.
The governor, through his spokesman, Festus Ahon, confirmed to KPH.ng that the decision was made after a large consultative meeting of PDP stakeholders at Government House, Asaba.
He informed this newspaper that the state was tired of being in opposition to the centre, and that the governor wants to work constructively with the Abuja to bring development to the state.
He revealed that the formal declaration would be on Monday at the Cenotaph in Asaba. And this newspaper learnt that the Vice President, Kashim Shettima, would lead other major players of the APC to formally welcome Oborewvori.
With Delta securely in the bag, APC is reportedly looking in the direction of Rivers State, where there is a subsisting state of emergency, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa in that order. Informed sources told KTH.ng that Rivers is already a done deal with suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara fighting a titanic battle to save his job and political career.
This newspaper reported yesterday that Fubara sought audience with President Ahmed Bola Tinubu in London where he was said to have desperately pleaded for a second chance, promising concessions, including but not limited to decamping to APC.
A source familiar with the matter confirmed yesterday that President Tinubu may lift the emergency rule in Rivers sooner than expected, and return Fubara to office. The president is reportedly counting on the acquiescence of former Rivers governor (Federal Capital Territory, FCT minister) Nyesom Wike, who has been at daggers drawn with Fubara over the political control of Rivers State.
“ There are specific steps Fubara has promised to take to douse tensions between him and Wike. Some these are along the lines of the agreement they had earlier on with the president which he(Fubara) seemed to have reneged upon or kind of foot dragged about. Regardless, things are looking up for him again and he might be back on the seat sooner than later,” our source said.
In the case of Akwa Ibom, Governor Umo Eno has not hidden his almost fawning admiration for President Tinubu. Only last week, he openly declared that he would work to reelect the president for another term in 2027. He described Tinubu as a visionary leader committed to national development, citing infrastructure projects like the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway as evidence.
In a statement , Eno said Tinubu is a de-tribalised leader whose agenda is bringing tangible development to all parts of Nigeria, irrespective of party lines or political affiliations.
This newspaper was informed that key strategists around Governor Umoh have been saddled with the task of weighing the pros and cons of an eventual move to the APC. “ You know every state has its own objective circumstances. In Umoh’s case, decamping has to be well thought out given the fact that the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, who we all know to be a shrewd and powerful politician is from the state.
“ We are confident that once the governor gets the necessary guarantees that picking up the second term ticket is a forgone conclusion as it is for him in PDP presently, he will decamp without hesitation. Even though his relationship with Akpabio is quite cordial, you must also bear in mind that primaries can be brutal and unpredictable, especially when you are in a new party with a man as powerful as Akpabio,” a source close to the governor disclosed.
A close aide of Senator Duoye Diri, Bayelsa state governor, outrightly denied claims that the state governor was considering a move to APC. “ I can tell you categorically that he is not looking in that direction. My boss is a second term governor so what is he looking for in APC.
“When he( Governor Diri) heard the rumours about Delta, he called Oborewvori to confirm if they were true or not. But I think Oborewvori was not very forthcoming in their conversation. Well, Delta is Delta and this is Bayelsa. We are not going to APC,” he declared.
But even as he dismissed the rumours of Governor Diri’s potential move, he admitted to this newspaper that there were definite pressures to that effect. ”I know some of my colleagues and other persons close to the governor have been raising this APC issue, so while I know about today, I cannot talk about tomorrow.”
The move to secure the South-South zone for APC follows a long term vision of the Tinubu administration to lock the oil rich region to the centre while at the same time denying the opposition it biggest source of funding.
Outside Lagos, which is President Tinubu’s home turf, the next richest states are in the Niger Delta oil belt, and they have been in the hands of the opposition since PDP’s catastrophic defeat in the 2015 presidential elections. With Delta leading the way, and Rivers expected to follow shortly, the other two oil rich states of Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa are projected to follow suit in the near future.
Meanwhile, as PDP’s once deep pockets begin to shrink definitively, lingering crisis in the Party continues to take a toll.
Last weekend, FCT minister, Wike, warned that the crisis, if not resolved, will consume the party.
Wike blamed internal struggles for power as the sole reason behind the prolonged conflict tearing at PDP’s umbrella.
Instructively, yesterday’s events in Delta coincided with a call by former Deputy National Chairman of the Party, Chief Olabode George, on former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Wike himself to leave PDP immediately because of their “various anti-party activities.”
George wondered in a statement:
“What exactly is going on? Anybody who is tired of PDP should leave and join another party. Enough of this embarrassment. As a founding elder of this party, I will not watch while some people openly disrespect the party. It is impossible,” he said.
George queried why Atiku, along with others, visited former President Muhammadu Buhari in Kaduna.
He also faulted what he called the open endorsement of President Bola Tinubu by some PDP governors and PDP leaders ahead of 2027.
“Nigerians are yearning for change, which only the PDP can offer because ours is the only organised party.
“This is the time for the national leadership of PDP to take decisive steps to save our great party… I call on other elders of our party to call Atiku and Wike to order, as the two are not bigger than the PDP.
“They cannot continue hobnobbing with enemies of our party and think I will keep quiet. The truth must be told every time without minding whose ox is gored. This is the time to save our party from those undermining PDP from within,” George said.