Former Delta State Governor and 2023 vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has explained his decision to abandon former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and throw his political weight behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Okowa, who is now the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Delta North, declared that he had “seen the light,” insisting that President Tinubu’s economic reforms and leadership approach convinced him to join the ruling party.

The former governor made the disclosure on Saturday while addressing party supporters at the APC presidential campaign rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

According to him, although he contested the 2023 presidential election alongside Atiku on the PDP platform, developments under the Tinubu administration have persuaded him that the President is taking bold steps to rebuild Nigeria’s economy.

“You all know that in 2023 I was on another ticket, but I have seen the light, and I have seen what Mr President is doing for Nigeria,” Okowa declared.

“It is the right thing to be done, and I have long ago crossed to the APC to join hands with Mr President because he is truly building a new Nigeria.”

The former Delta governor argued that Nigeria’s economic challenges were inherited from successive administrations, stressing that Tinubu’s policies were designed to correct longstanding structural problems.

“When the foundation is broken, you cannot do anything. Mr President realises that successive administrations have broken the foundations of Nigeria. And today, we are on the right course because that foundation is being put right,” he stated.

Tinubu’s Economic Reforms Changing Nigeria — Okowa

Defending the administration’s economic policies, Okowa maintained that the reforms had significantly improved revenue allocations to state and local governments, enabling them to meet financial obligations and undertake development projects.

He claimed that the increased availability of funds had strengthened the capacity of subnational governments to pay workers’ salaries, settle pension obligations and execute infrastructure projects.

“Today, our states and local governments are doing so well because Mr President has continued to mobilise resources for various states and our local governments,” he said.

“We no longer talk about people owing salaries; we no longer talk about people owing pensioners. Our local governments are doing projects, our states are doing projects, and we can pay salaries.”

Okowa further praised Tinubu’s economic management credentials, drawing parallels between his achievements as Lagos State governor and his current administration at the federal level.

“Only a man who understands a nation’s economy can do this. The wonders that were done in Lagos are already being done in our country, Nigeria,” he added.

How Atiku–Okowa Presidential Ticket Divided PDP

Okowa’s latest declaration comes against the backdrop of the political crisis that engulfed the PDP ahead of the 2023 general elections.

In 2022, Atiku selected Okowa as his running mate, overlooking former Rivers State Governor and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who had enjoyed the backing of influential stakeholders within the opposition party.

The decision triggered internal disagreements and deepened divisions within the PDP, with some party leaders openly opposing Atiku’s presidential ambition.

Atiku and Okowa eventually lost the February 2023 presidential election to Tinubu, who contested on the APC platform.

In April 2025, Okowa publicly expressed regret over his decision to accept the PDP vice-presidential nomination, arguing that the prevailing political sentiment at the time favoured the emergence of a southern president after the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

He acknowledged that the PDP’s decision to field a northern presidential candidate contributed to the party’s electoral setbacks, including its defeat in Delta State during the presidential election.

With his latest endorsement of Tinubu, Okowa has further consolidated his political realignment with the ruling APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.

His declaration also highlights the continuing movement of prominent opposition figures into the governing party as political activities intensify ahead of the next presidential election.

President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians, particularly voters in Rivers State, to deploy their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in the 2027 general elections to sustain what he described as progressive economic development and fight poverty.

Tinubu made the appeal on Saturday during the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaign rally at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, where he called on eligible voters who were yet to collect their PVCs to do so ahead of the elections.

The President described the PVC as a powerful instrument for determining the country’s political and economic future, urging supporters to use their votes to support his administration’s development agenda.

“It is left for you to use the weapon you have, and that weapon is the PVC. If you have not collected yours, please go ahead and collect it. Please, I beg you, I take God beg. The weapon you have against poverty is to elect progressive development of our economy. That is what I am pursuing,” he said.

Addressing Nigerian youths, Tinubu stressed that the 2027 general elections would largely determine their future, urging them to take an active interest in the electoral process.

“To the youths of Nigeria, I am looking at you. This election is about you, it’s not on me. Your future depends on this election. This progress has no reverse gear,” the President added.

The Rivers rally followed Tinubu’s appearance at an APC campaign rally in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, where Governor Umo Eno pledged two million votes for the President ahead of the 2027 elections.

During the Uyo engagement, Tinubu also approved Eno’s request for the establishment of the proposed Ibom Deep Sea Port, describing the project as a major driver of economic growth and development in Akwa Ibom and the South-South region.

The Port Harcourt rally attracted prominent APC leaders, elected officials and party supporters from Rivers State and other parts of the South-South geopolitical zone.

Those who addressed the gathering and canvassed support for the party included Vice President Kashim Shettima, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, alongside other APC chieftains.

A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sacked the Senator David Mark-led leadership of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), declaring its emergence as the party’s leadership invalid and nullifying all actions taken by the executive under his leadership.

The judgment also invalidates the party’s nomination of former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, as its presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, throwing the ADC’s presidential ambition into uncertainty ahead of the polls.

Justice Peter Lifu, who delivered the judgment, upheld the claims brought before the court by Nafiu Bala Gombe, a former National Deputy Chairman (North-East) of the ADC, who challenged the process through which the Senator Mark-led leadership assumed control of the party.

Gombe had argued that following the resignation of the party’s former National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, he was constitutionally entitled to assume the position of National Chairman. He maintained that the emergence of the Mark-led leadership violated the ADC constitution and relevant provisions of the Electoral Act.

In his suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1819/2025, the plaintiff asked the court to nullify all decisions and actions taken by the Senator Mark-led executive on behalf of the party.

He also sought an order restraining Senator Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola from parading themselves as the ADC National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively.

The defendants in the suit included the ADC, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Senator David Mark, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and Chief Ralph Nwosu.

The court found merit in Gombe’s arguments and granted the reliefs sought, effectively invalidating the authority of the Mark-led leadership and the decisions taken under its administration.

The ruling has significant implications for the ADC’s preparations for the 2027 general election, particularly the presidential ticket of Atiku Abubakar, whose name had earlier been published by INEC as the party’s presidential candidate.

Atiku had also reportedly selected former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate for the presidential contest.

The judgment is expected to trigger further political and legal developments within the opposition party, especially as the country prepares for the presidential election scheduled for January 16, 2027.

However, the ADC has rejected the outcome of the case and vowed to challenge the judgment at the Court of Appeal.

Reacting to the ruling, the party’s National Welfare Secretary, Nkemakolam Ukandu, who was subsequently joined in the matter as an interested party, said the ADC would appeal the decision, expressing the party’s determination to seek redress at the appellate court.

The appeal process is expected to determine the next phase of the leadership crisis and the fate of the party’s political decisions ahead of the 2027 elections.