National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Amb. Umar Damagum has lamented the exit of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, the former governor Ifeanyi Okowa and the entire state assembly team into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) but stressed that the 2027 is going to be a battle between APC and Nigerians.
Damagum said that the party never expected Delta to join the ruling party as it benefitted immensely from PDP and was even ceded the priviledge of producing the party’s running mate in the 2023 general election.
Speaking during the Presentation of Certificate of Return to the Anambra State governorship candidate of the party, Amb. Jude Ezenwafor, Damagum said that the ruling party will be rattled with the result of the 2027 general election despite the number of governors it has poached.
He said, “It’s very sad and unfortunate because to me, if there’s any state that should think that way, not Delta, because the party is very magnanimous with Delta. I thank God that in their message, they didn’t say that the party did anything wrong to them other than good.
“It’s a decision taken by them, but the pains will be in us not because of anything, but because we have given Delta State all our support, from the emergence of the governor to his predecessor, who also doubled as our vice presidential candidate. I think we’ve done it all for them in Delta State. We least expected this action from them. All the same, this is a party that have seen more than that, but it’s still standing”.
He said that the party will quickly take an audit of the situation and take back the structure of the party in the state.
“I want to use this opportunity to say, we’ll take over our structures immediately by setting up a caretaker. We are still taking stocks and we will do that immediately. I also want to enjoin our members, both in Delta and the country in general, I want to remind us what happened in 2023. The PDP can still make it simple”.
Damagum said that the 2027 election is going to be a battle between Nigerians and APC.
“Obi has no governor but he muzzled all those votes that he muzzled. This election in 2027, is not about how many governors you have or how many leaders. It’s about Tinubu and Nigerians and Nigerians will give you the result I believe before 12 o’clock because you can coerce, persuade, and intimidate our members to come in to support you. The ordinary man is feeling the pinch and the decision is his. So I want to use this opportunity to tell Nigerians that it is their election. It is APC versus Nigerians.
“It’s not APC versus any governor or senator or anything but APC versus Nigerians. So I want to urge all of us to close ranks and rescue ourselves from this hardship that is inflicted on us by design, not any coincidence.
“Policies are meant for people, no one else because you make policy and it’s not for the ordinary people. We will experience a lot of challenges but there is no challenge that is insurmountable. I thank God we are all people of faith.
“We know there is a limit to whatever one can do other than what God has designed. You may have your own tactics where you cannot outplay God. We leave our faith in the hands of God and we believe He will help us out of this great situation”.
