Atiku hits PDP leaders as Oborevwori defection unsettles party | The Nation (2025)

April 26, 2025 by Jide Babalola, Jide Orintunsin, Abuja and Okungbowa Aiwerie, Asaba

• Accuses them of ‘sipping tea, making deals with Tinubu’

• APC to defectors: We have room to accommodate all

• More confusion as dispute over National Secretary rages

• How party got two ‘National Secretaries’ in two days

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday sought to rationalise his frequent switching of political parties and allegiances, saying defections, alliances and realignments are part and parcel of democratic politics.

“We’ve seen them before, and we’ll see them again,” he said in response to criticism of his planned coalition with some politicians ahead of the 2027 elections, and this week’s mass defection of his core supporters in Delta State from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Among the Delta defectors was Atiku’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa.

Acting National Chairman of the PDP, Umar Damagum, had called the Thursday defection shocking and painful to the party.

The defection seems to have only added to the myriad of crises ravaging the party.

It emerged yesterday that confusion still surrounds the office of the PDP National Secretary.

The Nation gathered that two conflicting memos were issued during the week naming different persons, Architect Setonji Koshoedo and Senator Samuel Anyanwu, as the rightful occupant of the office.

Atiku, in the statement posted on his verified X handle @atiku, accused his critics of hypocrisy and selective outrage.

“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,” he said.

His statement: “I have been overwhelmed with inquiries from concerned Nigerians, all eager to understand my position on the latest political shifts, particularly the defection of some PDP members to the ruling party.

“Let me be unequivocal: freedom of association and expression are not optional in a democracy — they are fundamental rights. Alongside these stand the pillars of a just and functional democratic society: the people, the rule of law, credible elections, and accountability. Undermine any of these and democracy itself begins to crumble.

“As someone who holds fast to these values, I bear no grudges against anyone for exercising their right to political alignment. Defections, alliances, and realignments are part and parcel of democratic politics. We’ve seen them before, and we’ll see them again.

“Some have resorted to insults because I visited former President Muhammadu Buhari. 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.

“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!

“Let us be clear: 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 free fall. 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.

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“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.”

Net citizens lash out at ex-VP

Critics responded immediately to him on social media.

Some of the reactions:

logicoversentiments@majorlouwe: “The question is when are you defecting to APC??”

Characteristix@Metalistix: “Your statement on the defection of your running mate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa @IAOkowa, is a master class in evasion, deflection, and selective principle.

“The question Nigerians are asking is not whether people have the right to defect — they do. The real issue is what such defections reveal about the integrity, coherence, and ideological emptiness of a political campaign @Atiku led not long ago.

“If even your own running mate no longer finds the platform viable, what does that say about your leadership or the direction of the @OfficialPDPNig?

“Even more ironic is your attempt to take the moral high ground on political realignments. You are the same man who has defected across party lines more times than any major Nigerian politician in recent history — from @OfficialPDPNig to ACN, to @OfficialAPCNg , and back to PDP.

“In many ways, you’re the architect and symbol of Nigeria’s culture of political nomadism, which makes your silence on Okowa’s move feel more like self-preservation than statesmanship.

“Rather than confronting the internal rot and crisis within the PDP — including defections, disunity, and waning public trust — you simply divert attention to the failures of the Tinubu administration.

“Yes, the ruling party deserves criticism, but this should not serve as a convenient escape route from addressing the collapse of leadership within the opposition itself.

“It’s not hypocrisy Nigerians are reacting to; it’s the insult to their intelligence when political leaders talk circles around issues they are too compromised to confront.

“Leadership demands clarity, not cowardice. And silence in the face of political betrayal from within one’s own camp is not restraint — it is abdication of responsibility.”

“With all due respect, sir, the best you can do for PDP is to step aside, become the elder statesmen you should be, and allow the party to find a new and vibrant leader. Keep in mind a strong opposition is good for democracy to thrive.

Ragnarok @SimoncoleB: “I think you laid the foundation when you joined APC a while back”

EBITU @EbituPromise: “The same people who walked out of PDP in 2014 and triggered its collapse are now the ones crying.”

Dendebuller@toofighting: “Personally, I think you have tried, and it’s time for you to take a backseat from active politics and throw your weight behind a young and brilliant candidate.

“At your level, it should be a shame if you do not have a mentee that you can entrust Nigeria into their capable hands.”

A former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Olabode George, had last week accused Atiku of betraying the PDP on account of his planned floating of a mega party and his recent visit to former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Those who are now talking about forming a mega party — what is the purpose of that? You belong to a solid organisation, the PDP, and yet you’re meeting with Baba Buhari. Is he a member of our party? Was this discussed with anyone in the PDP? Is this a private company?” George said on ARISE Television.

“Look at General Buhari shaking hands with these guys. Is he one of us? We fielded you against him, and he trounced you. Now you’re running to him?”

We have rooms to accommodate all, APC assures decampees

The National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC yesterday told new members of the party that it had enough rooms to effectively accommodate all.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka was in Abuja yesterday to welcome Senator Kawu Sumaila-led New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) decampees from Kano State that formally decamped to the governing party on Thursday.

Sumaila, a Senator representing Kano South and former Secretary to the Kano State Government, Dr. Baffa Bichi, along with some former and serving members of the National Assembly and the State House of Assembly, were formally received into APC by the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje on Thursday in Abuja.

Welcoming the new members Morka said: “Our great party applauds this decision and assures the incoming leaders and their teeming supporters of effective accommodation in the APC family.

“We are confident that this development, a clear endorsement of the focused leadership of President Bola Tinubu, will further galvanise support for the administration’s unprecedented multi-sector reforms, and position the party for overwhelming victory in Kano State in the upcoming 2027 general elections.”

Meanwhile, sources within the opposition NNPP in Kano State hinted that plans have been concluded for a mass defection of party members into APC in May

Oborevwori’s defection sparks discontent in PDP; APC in buoyant mood

The APC, which is still savouring the mass defection from the PDP in Delta State, has set machinery in motion to formalise the registration of new members.

The party officially notified all Local Government Chairmen to collect Registration Booklets.

The APC, in a statement by the State Publicity Secretary, Valentine Onojeghuo, said the registration of new members was a crucial step toward ensuring their full integration into the party structure.

“We encourage all new members to visit their local ward chairmen and complete the registration formalities to formalise their membership,” he said.

State Chairman of the APC, Mr Omeni Sobotie, was quoted as saying: “The influx of members into our party is a testament to the growing trust in our leadership and the promises of unity and progress that we offer. These new members are crucial to APC’s future in Delta State.”

It added that new members are expected to play a vital role in the party’s goals of achieving “Renewed Hope” for the people of Delta as it prepares for upcoming political challenges.

With a growing number of PDP defectors swelling the ranks of the APC, the party is now positioning itself to capitalise on the strengthened unity and increased influence ahead of future political contests.

It was gathered that Governor Sheriff Oborevwori may dissolve his cabinet to accommodate original APC members.

Some PDP leaders at ward level are said to have expressed surprise at the defection of the governor and others,

One of them from Delta Central, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said neither he nor his constituents were involved in any meeting or decision to leave the party.

Some PDP loyalists in the state have asked former PDP chair, Chief Solomon Areyenka, and all other executives and stakeholders at various levels who decamped to the APC to officially tender and publish their resignation letters.

The group insisted the step is essential for proper documentation and to distinguish between committed party loyalists and political opportunists.

They made the call in a statement released by the group’s secretary, Henry Onokpekun,

According to them, Senator James Manager lacked the authority to speak for the entire PDP family in Delta.

They said: “He can only speak for those who were present at that meeting. PDP still remains Delta, and Delta still remains PDP. This party cannot be wished away by a single pronouncement.”

They challenged the validity of the defection, noting that PDP remained solidly rooted at the grassroots and that no constitutional process was followed to indicate a formal disbandment or mass resignation from the party’s structures.

The group warned APC to be wary of what it described as the “entry of political mercenaries” into its fold, stressing that many of the defectors may be attempting to maintain dual loyalties.

“What we are seeing is a clear case of political hedging. Some are simply following the tide blindly without knowing what they’re entering into. Many will quickly return to the PDP when their expectations are dashed,” the group said.

.According to the group, the defectors, particularly those in leadership, have reportedly secured personal political deals that may not favour their followers, who are being dragged along without full disclosure.

A PDP state executive member who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “I am unsure of my job with this defection. The feeling amongst many of us is apprehension as events are in a state of flux right now. We are unsure that we will retain our jobs less than one year into office.”

He said newly elected PDP members and appointees were concerned about being edged out, stressing that Governor Oborevwori’s defection will pose more issues as the fight position intensifies.

Oborevwori made wisest decision, says Philip Shaibu

Former Deputy Governor of Edo, Philip Shaibu, has described the Delta defections into the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) as a vindication of his position.

He said the defection of Delta Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori and all his appointees and immediate past governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, was an eye opener to many that had not seen it coming.

Shaibu, who spoke in Abuja, said that he foresaw and predicted this scenario while still in the PDP few years back, but was misunderstood.

His words:“I remember when I was leaving the PDP some of you asked me why I was leaving, and I said, I do not see a future for PDP in Nigeria because of the way the players are handling the party.

“The players were not democratic. The leadership was not democratic, and I shouted, and then I was asked to keep quiet.

“This is because the players that I see in charge of the party and the way I see things happening does not show what PDP actually stands for.

“I predicted that in less than one year, as at that time, if they don’t change, the PDP will be history in Nigeria, Then, I was still a member of the party. So, it’s not like I was not a PDP member.

“Some of the feelings I have, they also share the same feeling. I see more governors leaving. No progressive governor can remain in PDP.

“I salute the courage of the Delta governor, and I say the wisest decision he has taken in his political career is what he did on Wednesday.”

How PDP got two national secretaries within 24 hours

Between Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, the PDP officially acknowledged two persons for the position of National Secretary.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Head of the Department of Administration at the party’s National Secretariat, Alhaji Gurama Bawa, issued a memo to all staff that the Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Damagum, had directed that Architect Setonji Koshoedo, who was Deputy National Secretary, had now become acting National Secretary.

The internal memo titled ‘Appointment of Acting National Secretary’ and distributed to all offices and staff at the PDP national headquarters stated thus:

“I am directed by the Ag. National Chairman to inform all Staff that Hon. (Arch) Setonji Koshoedo, Deputy National Secretary (DNS) is now the Acting National Secretary of our great party till further notice.

“In line of the above, all party correspondences should be channeled to Hon.

(Arch) Setonji Koshoedo. You are kindly requested to accord him all the necessary support and cooperation as the Acting National Secretary of our great party.

“This is for your information and guidance please.”

The memo with reference number PDP/NS/EST/146 apparently gave effect to the advice contained in resolutions made by the PDP Governors’ Forum during their meeting in Ibadan on April 14, 2025 as part of the 7-point resolution signed by Forum’s Chairman, Governor Bala Mohammed.

The governors recommended that the Deputy National Secretary should take over from Anyanwu ‘pending the nomination and ratification of a substantive secretary from the South East Zone’.

However, in reaction to the position of the Governors’ Forum, Anyanwu declared that there is no provision in the party’s constitution that allows a handful of party men to unilaterally invalidate the PDP constitution or the decision taken at a national convention that elected him as National Secretary for a four-year term in 2021.

At the Exco Hall of the PDP National Secretariat where Ambassador Damagum was presented PDP’s Certificate of Return to the party’s candidate for the November 8 Anambra State governorship election, Jude Ezenwafor, Koshoedo was introduced as the party’s acting national secretary while Anyanwu was absent.

It was later gathered that Anyanwu had remained in his office just one floor above the event venue, with confidence that the situation was going to be temporary.

Twenty four hours later, a counter memo emerged from the same Alhaji Gurawa Bawa, saying Senator Samuel Anyanwu had formally returned to his position as PDP National Secretary.

The new memo with same reference number but a different date directed all PDP staff to note that Senator Samuel Anyanwu has returned to office as substantive National Secretary ‘with immediate effect’

“Consequently the (previous) circular mentioned above should be disregarded null and void and of no consequence,” Bawa said.

A Supreme Court judgment of March 21 this year had invalidated two lower judgments relied upon by PDP Governors’ Forum and other PDP forces to prop up Udeh-Okoye, but rather than return to the status quo ante, forces opposed to the prevalent influence of FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike in PDP affairs preferred to interpret the Supreme Court judgment as an opportunity for party elements to redefine who and how to replace Anyanwu.

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