It would be naïve, if not outright simplistic, to assume that a sitting governor, presiding over a formidable political machinery, would whimsically abandon his platform. Politics, at its deepest core, is not merely a contest of brute strength or party loyalty; it is a theatre of calculated realities where pragmatic choices often eclipse rigid ideology. The defection of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and his predecessor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) is not desperation or weakness. It is a deliberate manoeuvre, reflective of the strategic instincts necessary for survival and influence in contemporary Nigerian politics.
Cross-carpeting in
Nigeria has never been trivial. While the public may view it with cynicism,
seasoned politicians understand it as the delicate art of positioning.
Oborevwori and Okowa’s move was not born of panic but of reciprocity. To
dismiss their defection as capitulation is to misunderstand the realities of
power. Both men brought with them immense political assets: the loyalty of national
and State legislators, commissioners, aides, grassroots networks, and robust
patronage structures. This was not a leap into uncertainty but the
transplantation of an entire political machine, recalibrating Delta’s political
balance and installing Oborevwori as the new fulcrum of APC politics and de
facto leader in the State.
To grasp the weight of
this transition, one must situate it within Delta’s political history. Since
1999, the PDP has been the dominant force, consistently frustrating opposition
ambitions. In the last general election, the APC secured only four of twenty-five
local government areas. For a sitting governor to abandon PDP, the entrenched
hegemon, is not a retreat but a reconfiguration of power. It represents a rare
exchange: Oborevwori and Okowa deliver Delta’s political weight to APC, while
APC offers them leverage, safeguard, and continuity in the shifting tides of
national politics.
At the heart of this
defection lies a broader vision of alignment between state and federal
interests. Oborevwori’s decision to work in harmony with the presidency, especially
with 2027 in sight, reflects foresight rather than opportunism. By
synchronising Delta’s trajectory with the centre, he positions the state to
benefit from federal goodwill, national projects, and enhanced partnerships
that strengthen his mandate. For Okowa, the move secures continued relevance in
shaping national discourse, ensuring that Delta remains a voice of consequence
rather than a bystander in opposition. For the APC, it delivers in one stroke
what it had long struggled to build: grassroots penetration, tested structures,
and credible leadership to reset Delta’s balance of power.
Naturally, this
realignment has internal consequences. Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, long the face of
APC in Delta, now finds himself in a redefined party space. Oborevwori’s entry
alters the equilibrium, diluting Omo-Agege’s once unchallenged influence. Yet this
is the paradox of politics: stature must yield to the arithmetic of alliances.
Survival does not favour the solitary gladiator but the strategist willing to
adapt, compromise, and harness shifting tides for collective gain.
It is in this context
that the propaganda of Fejiro Oliver and his ilk should be seen. Their
sensational claims may stir noise, but they cannot alter the hard realities of
power. Oborevwori’s authority rests not on rhetoric but on the formidable
structures he commands, the legislature, the grassroots, and the machinery of
governance. No propaganda can diminish his central role in Delta’s political
equation, nor erase the fact that his defection has fundamentally transformed
the APC in the State. In politics, perception matters, but power decides
outcomes.
Ultimately, the defection
of Governor Oborevwori and Senator Okowa is not betrayal but evolution. It
reflects the pragmatism that underpins democratic growth, leaders adapting to
shifting realities to strengthen their mandate and serve their people more
effectively. By aligning with the APC, Oborevwori has not reduced his influence
but expanded it, bringing Delta’s strength into closer synergy with the centre while
securing a stronger platform for state development and his continued relevance
in the national arena.
This episode, therefore,
should not be reduced to optics. It is a case study in strategic calculation, a
lesson in the necessity of aligning local power with national currents, and a
reminder that in politics, the only constant is the pursuit of survival and
influence. For APC, it is a windfall. For Oborevwori, it is consolidation. For
Delta, it is recalibration. And as for Fejiro Oliver and fellow propagandists, they
remain what they have always been: spectators shouting from the sidelines,
while Sheriff Oborevwori writes the script of Delta’s political future.
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