2023 and the gale of defections in Delta State

By Joseph Onajevwe,

These are not good times for the main opposition political party in Nigeria, the Peoples Democratic Party. Considering the hardship visited on Nigeria by the APC-led federal government, one had expected a complete breakaway from the poverty-laden propensity of the Buhari administration. But the tides of the past one month and a careful examination of the crystal ball presupposes that the change has come to stay and APC may well preside over the affairs of Nigeria beyond 2023.

The signals being generated in the political scene does not favour the PDP at the National level. Even on the home front here in Delta State, there are tendencies that suggest all may not be well with the PDP. The defections lately had been more in favour of the All Progressives Congress. And if this is not stopped forthwith, the Peoples Democratic Party may be in for a tight race to retain the hold on government house in 2023. The recent defection of Senator Peter Nwaoboshi of the Delta North has opened a new chapter to the gale of defection in the state.

One thing is clear, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi is not a pushover. He has been in the party since 1998 and was in fact pioneer State Secretary of the Party. He rose to become State Chairman of the PDP and he served for 8 years before moving to the Senate where he is serving his second term. If a man of Peter Nwaoboshi’s standing could decamp to APC considering all his benefits in the PDP, I wonder who cannot dump the PDP if pushed to the wall.

The politics of 2023 has taken centre stage. APC in Delta State has a very bright chance of taking over the State. But Senator Ovie Omo-Agege must step down from his white horse and build bridges to accommodate the various tendencies in the party to move forward. The Great Ogboru factor, Festus Keyamo factor, Otega Emerhor, Victor Ochie and Cairo Ojuogboh tendencies must be harmonized to produce the election-winning platform capable of rocking the boat against the PDP in the coming years. Omo-Agege should humble himself and work with all tendencies.

Nwaoboshi, who should understandably assume the leadership of the APC in Delta North, is with Omo-Agege. That is a plus for him. Hon Victor Ochei, former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly and presently an Executive Director with NIMASA is not opposed to Omo-Agege’s leadership of the party in Delta State. That is also a good one. But his relationship with Cairo Ojuogboh, Festus Keyamo and Chief Great Ogboru had not been rosy lately. This must be tackled in the general interest of the party.

The way things are going, there is every indication to suggest that more defections may likely follow the one of Peter Nwaoboshi in favour of APC. PDP in turn has also harvested a handful of defectors led by the former Chairman of the APC in Delta North, Chief Okafor. However, whatever he is worth, a thousand Okafor cannot equate to the political value of Nwaoboshi, a sitting senator in Delta State. All the grandstanding about the show at the Celotaph in Asaba shortly before Nwaoboshi embraced the broom was mere window dressing meant to mitigate the impact of Nwaoboshi’s thunderbolt defection. Something bigger than the eye can see is building up in Delta North and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is not oblivious of the development. More political players are warming up to quit the PDP and Okowa has got to act fast to halt the trend.

The defections of David Umahi of Ebonyi, Ben Ayade of Cross Rivers and now Matawale of Zamfara have reduced the influence of PDP on the national political space. There are strong indications that more governors and senators are on their way out of the PDP not minding the pains and hunger APC has visited on the people. Everybody is in search of personal interest. Nobody cares about what becomes of Nigeria tomorrow but what our people are concerned with is the fate and place of the individuals in the coming political exchanges. The dance is assuming a strange and weird dimension and only the shrewd may survive the coming tides.

However, APC as a party should not celebrate too early. The continued slide of party key players into the open arms of the party can lead to an implosion that may not serve the best interest in the long run. The manner and ways they can manage the continued defections into the party vis-à-vis the coming party congress and National Convention of the party would determine the ultimate stand of the APC in the coming years. But at the Delta State level, the ball is in the court of Ovie Omo-Agege. Providence poses huge responsibility on him. He cannot afford to fail this generation. APC cannot win Delta state without Omo-Agege just as Omo-Agege cannot win without the support of the rest party members even up to the PDP.

One thing that cannot be denied the APC is that 2023 offers the best opportunity for the party to take over Delta State if the right strings are pulled by the leaders. This cannot be a one-man show or solo efforts of a political tactician. The 2023 push must be predicated on the conscious determination of all the APC leaders and stakeholders to draw down the change at the state level. Winning the Presidential polls is becoming almost an impossible task for PDP considering the loss of more PDP governors to the opposition. These are invaluable stakeholders with a heavy political war chest capable of changing the tides in their states.

It should be noted that the loss of one PDP governor can be equated to losing over 100,000 votes. The game is gaining momentum. More governors are warming up to join the APC yet in Delta State, some political analysts would want the people to believe that nothing bad could happen to the party yet valuable warriors are deserting the war fronts. This is not a good omen and PDP must admit the deviousness of the tide. Governor Okowa knows what to do to reverse the trend. But that certainly has nothing to do with grandstanding about the supposed invincibility of the party.

Joseph Onajevwe writes from Ginuwa Road, Warri, Delta State.