Ifeanyi Okowa, the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate for Delta north, says he withdrew his support for former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in favour of President Bola Tinubu because he has “seen the light”.
The former governor of Delta spoke on Saturday at the APC presidential campaign in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers state.
Okowa, who was Atiku’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, said he joined the ruling party because he believes the Tinubu administration is making difficult but necessary decisions to address Nigeria’s decades-long 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.
“It is the right thing to be done, and I have long ago crossed to the APC to join hands with Mr president because he is truly building a new Nigeria.
“When the foundation is broken, you cannot do anything. Mr president realises that successive administrations have broken the foundations of Nigeria. And today, we are on the right course because that foundation is being put right.”
The former governor said the federal government’s fiscal reforms increased revenue allocations to states and local governments.
“Today, our states and local governments are doing so well because Mr president has continued to mobilise resources for various states and our local governments,” Okowa said.
“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.
“Only a man who understands a nation’s economy can do this. The wonders that were done in Lagos are already being done in our country, Nigeria.”
In 2022, Atiku picked Okowa as his running mate for the 2023 presidential election, overlooking Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), who was Rivers governor at the time.
The decision sparked a disagreement within the PDP, as some party members had recommended Wike for the position.
Atiku and Okowa eventually contested the 2023 presidential election on a joint ticket but lost to Tinubu of the APC.
In April 2025, Okowa said he regretted agreeing to run as vice-presidential candidate alongside Atiku in the 2023 elections.
The politician said the south wanted to produce a successor to former President Muhammadu Buhari, but the PDP leadership chose otherwise.
Okowa said the backlash from that decision contributed to the party’s loss during the presidential poll in Delta state.