The camp of the 2023 Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has reacted to the official defection of former Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Speaking on the shocking defection, the group said the move signals what many analysts are describing as the beginning of a significant realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections.

New Telegraph had earlier reported that Okowa’s defection, confirmed shortly after a high-level meeting at the Delta State Government House in Asaba, was swiftly followed by that of the incumbent Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori.

Both leaders were previously central figures in the PDP’s political machinery in the South-South region.

In a brief remark following his defection, Okowa defended the decision, saying it was taken in the best interest of the people of Delta State.

“Be assured that we will not go in the wrong direction. We will take the best direction, the best path for our people,” he stated.

Governor Oborevwori’s departure from the PDP was likewise finalised after deliberations with party leaders and stakeholders in the state.

The defection appears to be part of a coordinated shift, marking a massive blow to the PDP’s base in Delta.

Senator James Manager, a long-serving PDP stalwart, confirmed the scale of the exodus.

“All PDP members in the state, including the governor, former Governor Okowa, the Speaker, the state party chairman, all local government chairmen, and others, have agreed to move to the APC,” the Manager said. “We cannot continue to be in a sinking boat.”

The defections are expected to significantly alter the political dynamics in Delta State and possibly across the South-South zone, a region previously considered a stronghold of the opposition.

Reacting to the developments, Atiku Abubakar’s Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, took to X, describing the sudden shift as opportunistic.

“From critics of the choir to lead singers overnight what a miraculous political conversion,” he wrote.

The mass defection comes as the PDP faces growing internal fractures and external pressures in the build-up to the 2027 elections, with more high-profile moves potentially on the horizon.