By OBSERVERS TIMES.
Senator Abba Moro has declared that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) could have won the 2023 presidential election if the party had not chosen former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as the running mate to its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Tuesday, the Benue South Senator described Okowa’s nomination as the PDP’s vice presidential candidate in the 2023 elections as a “serious mistake.”
Moro also pointed to Okowa’s recent admission of regret over his vice presidential candidacy — particularly after failing to secure a victory for the PDP in Delta State — as evidence that his “soul” was not fully committed to the party.
Okowa, alongside Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, recently defected from the PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). At his official reception by APC leadership in Asaba on Monday, Okowa justified the defection as being in the “best interest” of Delta people and necessary to “connect to Abuja.”
Commenting on these developments, Senator Moro said:
“Given what we know now, with hindsight, some of us believe the party would have won the election if a candidate other than Okowa had been picked as the vice presidential candidate from the South.
I think there was an error of judgment by all involved in choosing Okowa. How else can you explain that a sitting governor, a former senator, and a presidential candidate could not deliver his home state even to the presidential candidate?
And to add to that, two out of the three senators from that state are from opposition parties, not PDP.
Picking Okowa as the vice presidential candidate in 2023 was a very serious mistake.”
He further criticized Okowa’s commitment to the party, stating:
“You can safely conclude that we lost the election due to lack of commitment.
How else do you explain that after losing his state—which should have been an easy win for PDP—Okowa did not apologize to the party or Nigerians, but instead expressed regret for being on the ticket?
His soul was not in the PDP or the election, and that contributed to our poor performance in Delta State.”
When asked if Atiku’s potential departure from the PDP would damage the party, Moro acknowledged Atiku’s significant role:
“Atiku definitely has his place in the history and formation of the PDP. He is a strong member and a two-time presidential candidate.
Yes, if he leaves, it will create a vacuum.”
