The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said it will sue Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and other elected officials of the state, for defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The party’s Acting National Chairman, Ilyas Damagum, said the intention is to retrieve their mandate from the governor and the lawmakers.
This is one of the decisions of the National Working Committee (NWC) at its meeting yesterday following the defection of the governor and all elected party and government officials in Delta State to the APC. All of them were received into the ruling party on Monday in Asaba by Vice President Kashim Shettima and APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje.
Damagum also said the NWC decided that errant party chiefs, who openly flirt with the APC would be expelled.
Another decision of the NWC, according to him, is the total adoption of the resolutions of the PDP governors’ meeting in Ibadan on April 14.
The PDP governors resolve that the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting should hold on May 27 and the national convention slated for August on a date to be decided by the NEC.
The governors also rejected Samuel Anyanwu and Monday Udeh-Okoye, both claimants to the office of National Secretary. They ask Assistant National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo, to act until the election of a substantive secretary at the convention.
Damagum, who spoke to reporters after the NWC meeting, said: “We have adopted the decisions of the PDP Governors’ Forum as recommended so that the NEC can take decisions on them,” Damagum stated.
“We are not conquered people, I urge all our supporters to remain loyal; we may have internal crises but they are surmountable like others that we had overcome in the past.
Also, it was decided to among others, constitute a Zoning Committee to address all issues relating to the zoning of party offices arrange for PDP’s National convention in Kano between August 28 to 30.
In Asaba yesterday, the day after the transplant of the PDP structures in the APC, the state secretariat of the PDP was desolate. It remained locked without any sign of life around there, although the party’s name and logo still adorned the building.
Some officials said last night that the secretariat might likely be repainted with APC colours and the PDP flags replaced with that of the APC.
Yesterday, Damagum said a caretaker committee for PDP in Delta to be headed by a past chairman of the chapter, Chief Emmanuel Ogidi, would be constituted to run the party on an interim basis until substantive officials are elected.
Moro: Legal Action In Order
Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South), endorsed the PDP’s decision to pursue legal action against the defectors.
Moro, who spoke on a television programmed, described the defections as a “reprehensible” betrayal of the party, saying that the move to seek legal redress is justified and necessary to uphold political accountability and deter future betrayals.
Moro argued that the legal action is a critical step in reinforcing the principle that elected officials cannot abandon the platform that brought them to power without consequences.
He said: “As a law-abiding organisation, the PDP has this option, this window of suing these members, not necessarily for the sake of saying, ‘Hey, come back,’ but at least to show that you cannot betray the party and go scot-free.”
Moro emphasised that the defections raised a “moral question,” particularly for prominent figures like Okowa, who rose through the ranks of the PDP as a senator, governor, and the vice-presidential candidate.
He expressed dismay at Okowa’s public regret over his role as the PDP’s vice-presidential candidate, describing it as “uncharitable” and a sign of disloyalty.
Moro stressed: “Having been a senator before, having been a governor before, on the platform of the PDP, I think it’s uncharitable for him to come forth now and say that he regretted being on the ticket. He was not forced. He asked for it, and he was given.”
He said Okowa’s selection as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate was a “political miscalculation,” noting that some party members believed other candidates were more committed and could have delivered better electoral outcomes.
Moro frowned at Okowa’s inability to secure Delta for the PDP in the presidential election, despite being a sitting governor and vice-presidential candidate.
He said: “How can you explain that a sitting governor, a former senator, a vice-presidential candidate of the party, couldn’t deliver his state even to the presidential candidate? His soul was not in the PDP. His soul was not in that election. And that is why we performed very miserably in Delta State.”
Moro, who acknowledged the PDP’s internal crises, leadership disputes and factionalism, however, rejected the notion that the party is on the verge of collapse.
He alluded to the resilience of PDP members at the grassroots level, who he believes will sustain the party’s relevance, saying: “Those people who make elections are out there—the electorate, the masses, the ordinary member of the party. They are the ones that make the party.”
Moro also addressed concerns about the PDP’s dwindling numbers in the Senate, where the APC now holds 64 seats compared to the PDP’s 33, following the defection of Senator Ned Nwoko (Delta North) in February.
He alleged that some defections were influenced by “compromises,” such as offers of committee positions, saying that such moves are devoid of principle.
Moro said: “I can tell you for free here that some of these persons were compromised. There’s no doubt about it.”
He dismissed fears that the party cannot recover ahead of 2027 elections, citing the PDP’s historical dominance, having once controlled 28 states and both arms of the National Assembly, as evidence of its enduring strength.
He said: “Out of these failures, out of these disappointments and betrayals, I can assure you PDP will reorganize itself, learning from the mistakes and forge ahead.”
Moro expressed disappointment that Atiku did not take a more proactive role in unifying the party post-election.
He said: “I expected that Alhaji Atiku Abubakar should have started from day one after the election to galvanise the PDP and hold some level of cohesion within the party.”
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