On Friday, the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum (SMBLF) condemned Delta State Governor Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa for accepting his nomination as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate in the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) Presidential Candidature for the 2023 general elections.
Chief Edwin Clark, for the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum (SMBLF) and the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF); Chief Ayo Adebanjo, leader of Afenifere; Dr. Dru Bitrus, President-General, Middle Belt Forum; and Prof. George Obiozor, President-General, Ohaneze Ndigbo Worldwide signed a statement.
Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, the current Chairman of the South-South Governors’ Forum and a native of Owa-Alero in Delta State’s Ika North-East Local Government Area (one of the Igbo-speaking areas), was described by elder statesmen as “unspeakable” and “disappointing” for accepting the position of vice president.
They recalled that on May 11, 2021, 17 Southern governors from both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, met in Asaba, Delta State, and made far-reaching decisions, including that the presidency should rotate to the South at the end of President Muhammadu Buhari’s statutory eight-year term.
Governor Okowa hosted the historic meeting, they said, adding that the Southern governors met again in Lagos on July 5 to reaffirm their decision, and again in Enugu on September 16 to restate their call for the presidency to rotate to the South in 2023.
“It is therefore most unfortunate that Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, the Governor of Delta State, who should have known better, accepted his appointment as Alhaji Atiku Abubakar’s running mate.” We have nothing personal against Ifeanyi Okowa, but his actions are treacherous and amount to a despicable pawning of the people of Southern Nigeria’s political future.” According to the statement,
Governor Okowa has betrayed the trust placed in him by his colleagues, the southern governors, the entire good people of southern Nigeria, and all well-meaning Nigerians, according to the group, adding that he has made himself persona non grata, not only with the SMBLF, but also with all citizens who value our oneness and yearn for a more united and peaceful Nigeria.
The group said it had rejected Okowa for the position of vice president, calling the governor’s decision “a betrayal of the highest order.”
It went on to say that this was not a matter of political party loyalty, but rather a greedy, parochial, and unpatriotic act against the general interest of his state, Delta State, the Niger Delta region, and Southern Nigeria. It is also not in the national interest.
