Former National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Jacob Mark, has dismissed the defection of former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing it as politically inconsequential and devoid of any real threat to the PDP.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News, Mark downplayed the significance of the move, arguing that Okowa lacked the electoral influence to shake the PDP’s foundations.
“Truthfully, there is no political party that will be celebrating the departure of a sitting government. So truth be told, that is a big one for a sitting governor to leave a political party,” he said. “But whether that amounts to an earthquake is something else to discuss, because we all know that in the 2023 election, the former governor of Delta State was the running mate to Atiku Abubakar and he could not deliver his state to the PDP.”
Mark questioned the political value of Okowa’s move, emphasizing that his failure to secure Delta State for the PDP as Atiku’s vice-presidential running mate speaks volumes about his true level of influence.
“As a running mate, if he could not deliver his state, it goes a long way to say what tsunami he can cause by being in APC,” he added.
He further noted that the people of Delta State are not easily swayed by political elites, asserting their independence at the polls. “The people of Delta State have consistently displayed electoral capacity to think for themselves, to take decisions that are beneficial to themselves, not necessarily the decisions of stakeholders or governors or senators. The people of Delta State must be respected.”
Mark also suggested that Okowa’s defection was driven by personal interest rather than any ideological shift or desire to serve the people. “It is possible that the governor and the former governor have their interests which may not be the same interest as the interest of the electorate. And this must be put in perspective.”
He went on to criticize the lack of ideological grounding in Nigerian politics, stating, “We are not operating based on any ideology. As far as I’m concerned, all the political parties are the same. They represent no defined ideology that anybody can stick to, and that is why you wake up in the morning, one man is moving to this party. The next day, another man is moving to the other party.”
According to Mark, most defections in Nigeria are driven by self-preservation or personal political arrangements. “Some move because they want to get political mileage. Some because they think that by being in the APC they can get appointments. Some because they have negotiated some things that are not known to the general public, for themselves, not for the communities they represent.”
While the APC has celebrated the high-profile defection of Okowa and other Delta political figures, Mark concluded that it remains to be seen whether such moves will actually translate into electoral gains. “It’s questionable whether, indeed, having moved to the APC, the people will follow him.”
