The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro has expressed disbelieve that former governor of Delta State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, who lobbied and actively sought the vice presidential position of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2023, can now make a complete U-turn to distance himself from the consequences of that choice.
Senator Moro pointedly said that Okowa was a wrong choice for the vice presidential slot of the PDP in 2023, stressing that he contributed to why the Party lost the election.
Moro, who stated these while responding to the statements credited to Okowa in which he was quoted as having said that he regretted accepting the vice president’s position, described Okowa’s comments as “uncharitable”.
The PDP chieftain stressed that Okowa, who actively sought the vice presidential position, should not and cannot now distance himself from the consequences of that choice.
In the words of Moro; “Some members of the PDP were dissatisfied with Okowa’s selection as many believed that there were others in the party who had contributed more to its success and were more committed and better positioned to help win the election than Okowa.
“Okowa rose through the ranks of the PDP, from senator to governor and made possible by the platform he now appears to be disavowing.
“It is unfortunate today that at his level, having been a senator and governor before on the platform of the PDP, I think it’s uncharitable for him to be expressing regret about being the party’s running mate.
“He was not forced. He asked and begged for it, and he was given. With the hindsight that we have now, some of us think that the party would have won the election if another candidate other than Okowa had been picked as the vice-presidential candidate from the South.
“I think there was an error of judgment on the part of everybody that was involved in the choice of Okowa as the candidate,” he stressed.
Moro particularly questioned Okowa’s inability to secure his home state for the PDP during the presidential election, saying that opposition parties gained significant ground in Delta State despite Okowa’s stature as a sitting Governor and a vice-presidential candidate.
Moro further said; “How else will you characterise this scenario, that a sitting governor, a former senator, and vice-presidential candidate couldn’t deliver his state, even to the presidential candidate?
“And to think that two out of the three senators from that state are from the opposition party, and I can tell you that one person may have won that election purely on his own merit, because of his pedigree and his contributions to the community,” he said.
Commenting on the chances of the PDP in mounting a credible challenge against President Tinubu and the APC in the 2027, Moro said the political landscape remained fluid and unpredictable.
He said; “One day in politics is like decades. Things happen so rapidly that they defy imagination and comprehension, even among seasoned political actors. That same kind of rapid shift could work in favour of the PDP.
“Just about 72 hours ago, the chairmen of the PDP in the 36 states and the FCT met and reaffirmed their commitment to mobilising and galvanising support for the party, especially in light of what has happened in Delta State.
“PDP still commands deep loyalty across the country. There are individuals within the party whose body and soul remain committed to the PDP, and who are willing to make sacrifices and go to great lengths to rebuild the party.
“If the rebuilding effort meets the expectations for 2027, so be it. If it doesn’t, the PDP remains an integrated political brand that cuts across all segments of Nigerian society. It cannot be easily broken,” Moro said.
