Former Delta State Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Delta North, Ifeanyi Okowa, has explained his decision to abandon former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and support President Bola Tinubu, saying he has “seen the light” in the current administration’s policies.
Okowa made the remarks on Saturday during the APC presidential campaign in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
The former governor, who was Atiku’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, said he joined the APC because he believes Tinubu’s administration is taking necessary steps to address Nigeria’s longstanding economic challenges.
“You all know that in 2023 I was on another ticket, but I have seen the light, and I have seen what Mr President is doing for Nigeria,” Okowa said.
He described the administration’s economic policies as necessary, arguing that previous governments had weakened the country’s economic foundations.
According to him, Tinubu is addressing those structural problems and putting Nigeria on a better economic path.
Okowa also defended the Federal Government’s fiscal reforms, particularly the increase in revenue allocations to state and local governments.
He said the reforms had improved the financial capacity of subnational governments, enabling them to pay salaries and pensions and execute development projects.
“We no longer talk about people owing salaries; we no longer talk about people owing pensioners. Our local governments are doing projects, our states are doing projects, and we can pay salaries,” he said.
Okowa added that the economic policies responsible for Lagos State’s development were now being implemented at the national level.
Background to Okowa’s political shift
Atiku selected Okowa as his running mate ahead of the 2023 presidential election, overlooking Nyesom Wike, who was then governor of Rivers State and is now the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
The decision triggered disagreements within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with some party members reportedly favouring Wike for the position.
Atiku and Okowa eventually contested the election on the PDP ticket but lost to Tinubu, the APC candidate.
In April 2025, Okowa publicly expressed regret over accepting the vice-presidential nomination, arguing that the South should have produced Buhari’s successor.
He also attributed part of the PDP’s poor performance in Delta State during the 2023 presidential election to the controversy surrounding the party’s choice of running mate.
Okowa has since defected to the APC and is seeking election as the party’s senatorial candidate for Delta North.
