Former Delta State Governor and 2023 Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, has fired back at former Senate President Bukola Saraki over comments condemning his defection to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), stating that Saraki lacks the moral standing to criticise his political decisions.

Speaking during an interview on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Tuesday, Okowa dismissed Saraki’s remarks as hypocritical, pointing out the former Senate President’s own history of party-switching.

“I did not expect someone like Senator Bukola Saraki to comment on my defection because he also left the PDP for the APC and eventually returned. He has moved back and forth. So I don’t think he has the moral right to speak about my defection at all,” Okowa stated.

The exchange follows a major political realignment in Delta State on Monday, when Okowa, current Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, and a host of political appointees officially joined the APC. The move, which effectively dismantled the PDP’s longstanding political structure in the state, drew swift criticism from Saraki.

In a strongly worded statement, Saraki described the defection as “shocking and unbecoming,” noting that Okowa’s decision—given his role as the PDP’s Vice Presidential candidate just two years ago—reflected “how low we have sunk as a polity.”

But Okowa defended the move, saying it was not personal, but a consensus among key political actors in the state, driven by dissatisfaction with the direction of the PDP at the national level.

“Several things have been going on in the party,” he explained. “As stakeholders, we sat down and assessed the events of the past months. The communications coming from the PDP’s leadership made it clear to us that the party was no longer a viable political vehicle for Delta State, especially as we head toward 2027.”

Okowa also criticised the PDP leadership’s rejection of efforts to form a coalition ahead of future elections, suggesting it signaled that the opposition party is not prepared for a competitive political landscape.

The former governor’s remarks add to the growing tension within the PDP, which has been plagued by internal disputes and leadership struggles since its loss in the 2023 general elections.

As political realignments gather pace across Nigeria in anticipation of the 2027 elections, the fallout from Delta State’s mass defection is expected to have ripple effects across the national landscape.