APC Reacts as Atiku’s Ally Says Okowa, Delta PDP Leaders Were Harassed to Join Ruling Party
- Barrister Felix Morka, spokesperson of the APC, has said the PDP’s “internal contradictions and failures” led to the recent wave of defections
- Delta governor, Sheriff Oborevwori; Senator Ifeanyi Okow; and the leadership and membership of the PDP in the state defected to the APC on Wednesday, April 23, 2025
- Although PDP chieftain and Atiku Abubakar’s ally, Dele Momodu, cited harassment as the reason for the opposition figures’ decision, Morka disagreed
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering elections, politics, and governance in Nigeria.
Asaba, Delta state - Felix Morka, the national spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Thursday, April 24, said the ruling party is not coercing anyone to defect.
In an interview with Arise News, monitored by Legit.ng, Morka said politicians joining the APC do so purely on "voluntary" basis, adding that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) “is in a hot mess”.
Source: Twitter
APC tackles critics as Oborevwori, Okowa defect from PDP
The APC spokesperson’s remarks come as political heavyweights in Delta state moved from the PDP to the APC.
Amid the plot to democratically sack President Bola Tinubu from office in the 2027 election, on Wednesday, April 23, Ifeanyi Okowa, the vice presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 elections, dumped the PDP for the ruling APC.
Also, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta and other stakeholders in the state formally announced their resignation from the PDP to join the ruling APC.
In the same vein, Kawu Sumaila, senator representing Kano South, also resigned from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and joined the APC — further swelling the ruling party’s ranks ahead of the 2027 general election.
Dele Momodu, a media entrepreneur, said President Tinubu is using coercive tactics to pressure opposition politicians into joining the ruling APC.
Speaking on Channels Television’s 'Politics Today' on Wednesday, April 23, Momodu said many politicians switching allegiance to the APC are doing so out of fear, not loyalty or belief in Tinubu’s leadership.
Momodu claimed that many governors are privately being given an ultimatum to either “support the ruling party or face targeted attacks”.
He said Tinubu, once a pro-democracy figure, must now allow democracy to thrive in Nigeria or risk facing deep regret later in life.
Reacting to Momodu’s accusation, Morka said the decision by the Delta state governor and those with him to join the APC is not because anyone intimidated them.
He said:
“No one is coercing anyone. I am from Delta state, and in my state, everyone knows we don’t yield easily to intimidation. What you are witnessing is pure voluntariness, a decision by the governor and those with him to join our party. They are not joining our party because anyone in the APC has intimidated them, or has cajoled them. Delta is one of the richest states in this country, at least going by Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocation. So, at least the governor is well-resourced.
“There is no basis on which anyone can suggest, credibly, that what we witnessed what as a result of intimidation or anyone cajoling anybody. That is not the case.”
Speaking further, Morka asserted that the PDP “is in a hot mess as a party”.
He lambasted Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 election, saying the former vice-president “would not spend 10 minutes fixing his party”, but is pushing a coalition agenda.
The APC official added:
“So when people decide that there is no headway and they want to move, you cannot really blame them. The party has failed to offer them any form of serious prospect.”
Morka's refutation video can be watched below:
Keyamo, others react to Oborevwori, Okowa’s defections
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that minister of aviation and aerospace development, Festus Keyamo (SAN), expressed gratitude to Tinubu for his leadership as key political stakeholders in Delta state dumped the PDP for the ruling APC.
Delta-born Keyamo appreciated Tinubu’s leadership in a post on X, moments after Governor Oborevwori of the state and his commissioners made known their defection to the APC.
In the same vein, Bashir Ahmad, former special assistant on digital communications to ex-Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, expressed his delight.
PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!
Source: Legit.ng
