In an unprecedented political shift, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has defected to the APC alongside his deputy Monday Onyeme, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, commissioners, and key PDP stakeholders, potentially redefining power dynamics across Nigeria's oil-rich South-South region.
- Governor Oborevwori and Deputy Governor Onyeme have officially switched from PDP to APC
- Former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, who was Atiku Abubakar's running mate in the 2023 presidential election, joined the defection
- The move includes the entire state cabinet and major PDP stakeholders in Delta
- This represents one of the largest coordinated defections in recent Nigerian political history
- The defection significantly weakens PDP's traditional stronghold in the South-South
"This isn't just one politician changing parties—it's an entire governance structure shifting allegiance," notes Dr. Emmanuel Iroegbu, political analyst at Delta State University. "For ordinary citizens who voted along party lines, this raises profound questions about what political parties truly represent in our democracy."
As this coordinated defection reshapes Delta's political landscape, attention turns to neighboring South-South states where PDP governors may face similar pressures to realign. Will this trigger a domino effect that fundamentally alters Nigeria's political map ahead of 2027, or will it create space for new opposition voices to emerge?
