The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed to take legal action against the Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori, former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, and other top members of its Delta chapter following their defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking to journalists after the first National Working Committee (NWC) meeting of the year, PDP’s Acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagum, said the party’s Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, has been instructed to begin legal proceedings to reclaim the party’s mandate.
He said the party is challenging the defection because all those involved were elected under the PDP and should not carry the party’s mandate to another platform.
The dramatic defection took place on April 23, 2025, during a closed-door meeting in Asaba. Governor Oborevwori, his deputy, Monday Onyeme, former Governor Okowa, and almost the entire PDP political structure in Delta State—commissioners, local government chairmen, and grassroots leaders—moved to the APC. The move is being described by observers as a result of the growing influence of the “Hurricane Tinubu” political wave.
In response, the PDP has appointed Emma Ogidi as the new caretaker chairman of its South-South zone. He is expected to rebuild the party structure in Delta and replace leaders who followed Okowa and Oborevwori.
Damagum stressed that the PDP will not fold its arms and allow what he called “a complete collapse of party loyalty and discipline.”
The party has also scheduled its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for May 27 to further address the issue and chart a new path forward for the opposition party, especially in the South-South.
