FORMER Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has said he regretted his decision to run as the vice-presidential candidate to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the 2023 presidential election.
Okowa, who spoke on Arise Television, said his regret stems from a deep reflection on the fact that it contradicted the zoning arrangement and wishes of his people.
He therefore described his acceptance of the role as a misalignment with the prevailing sentiments in his state.
“Even when we were campaigning, I realised our people were not interested in having another northerner come into power. But the decision had already been taken at the federal level by the party (PDP) and I had been nominated. Still, in retrospect, I now believe I should have gone with the will of my people, Okowa confessed.”
Responding to former Senate President Bukola Saraki’s criticism of his defection, said Saraki lacks the moral standing to comment on or criticise his decision.
“I did not expect that someone like Senator Bukola Saraki should be able to speak concerning me, because he knows that he had also moved to APC before and eventually returned… So, he has had movement to and fro. So, I don’t think that he has the moral right to even speak about my defection at all.”
Okowa further justified his defection, stating: “Several things have been going on in the party. While I do not want to join issues with people, as stakeholders, our leaders in this state have sat down to look at the events in the last several months.
“Because of the events that we see and the communications coming out from the leadership of the PDP at the moment, it did not appear to us that that was a proper political vehicle for us to continue in.”
