The recent defection of Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) has sparked intense reactions, with many residents and political figures expressing shock and disappointment over the move.
Ijaw rights activist, Mr. Austin Ozobo, voiced his dismay on social media, describing the governor’s decision as a betrayal of the party’s loyalists. "It is no longer news about Governor Oborevwori’s defection to APC. It is sad. I never knew you (the governor) would kill PDP in Delta for personal gains," Ozobo wrote on his Facebook page.
Several PDP members, speaking anonymously, also expressed their frustration, claiming that the governor had turned his back on the party that supported him during his election campaign. "It’s unfortunate that the governor will just do this to a party that stood by him during his election travails. We wish him well sha," one party member lamented.
Some members suggested that Oborevwori could have pursued political alignment with President Bola Tinubu while remaining within the PDP, similar to former Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike. “Banking on any under-the-table agreement with the APC over 2027 is risky. They could shock him. You don’t rely on political promises for a second term,” one loyalist warned.
However, not all reactions have been negative. Sir Sunny Mene, the former Organizing Secretary of the APC in Delta, welcomed Oborevwori and his supporters, comparing political parties to churches with open doors for new converts. "The more, the merrier. As a leader of the APC in the state, I can only say that the governor and others are welcomed," Mene said.
Oborevwori’s defection, alongside that of his predecessor Senator Ifeanyi Okowa and other prominent PDP figures, marks a major shift in Delta’s political landscape, leaving the once-dominant PDP in a state of uncertainty as attention turns to the 2027 elections.
