By Deborah Nnamdi
The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has directed its Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, to initiate legal proceedings against Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, former Vice Presidential candidate Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, and the entire Delta PDP structure following their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking to the press after the year’s first meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC), Acting National Chairman Ambassador Umar Damagum stated that the party is ready to pursue legal avenues to reclaim its mandate, arguing that the officials in question were elected under the PDP platform.
In response to the shake-up, the PDP has appointed Emma Ogidi, the South-South Caretaker Chairman, to assume leadership of the Delta State PDP. Ogidi has been tasked with restructuring the party in the state and disregarding the current leadership under Chief Dan Orbih.
The defection, which occurred on April 23, 2025, saw Okowa, Oborevwori, and other key PDP figures in Delta—including Deputy Governor Monday Onyeme, state commissioners, and local government chairmen—join the APC after a private meeting in Asaba, a move many attribute to the political wave dubbed “Hurricane Tinubu.”
The development has sparked fears among opposition figures about an emerging one-party dominance.
The PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) is scheduled to meet on May 27 to further address the issue.
