In the annals of political treachery, few tales are as disheartening as that of “Sin-ator” Ifeanyi Okowa. Once a beacon of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he now stands as a symbol of opportunism, having defected to the All-Progressives Congress (APC) under the guise of national stability. In the putrid theatre of Nigerian politics, Okowa has mounted the stage not as a statesman, but as a jester of shame – a tragic example of what happens when the belly grows larger than the conscience. Okowa was once draped in the banner of the PDP, chanting hope, pledging fidelity to democratic ideals, and locking arms with Atiku Abubakar to reclaim a fractured republic. But now, Okowa has spat upon the very soil he once vowed to serve, crawling, not walking, into the waiting arms of the APC, the same machinery he had once decried as a symbol of national decay.
Speaking during an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, Okowa belatedly tried to whitewash his defection to the APC as an act of patriotism done in the interests of the people of Delta State. In a streak of hubris and authoritarian madness, Okowa put a bold face on his political opportunism masquerading as public interests. He shamelessly lied through his teeth; spoke from both sides of his mouth and tried to create a moral equivalency, by hinting that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar too, might be on his way out of PDP, stating that there is uncertainty about a so-called coalition against the ruling APC being spearheaded by Atiku.
Okowa also took a swipe at former Senate President Bukola Saraki, saying the ex-Kwara State governor has no moral right to question his political decisions, having himself left PDP at some point in the past. With his halting grammar, rambling syntax and mother-tongue inferences, Okowa, was disingenuous and contradictory, and in utter desperation, he maintained that for a stable Nigeria, President Bola Tinubu should do eight years of two four-year tenures.
And for what? For “national stability”? For “political alignment”? No. Let us not be deceived by these perfumed lies of convenience. This defection is nothing more than a coward’s calculus – a desperate bid for protection, a wretched barter of shame in exchange for immunity, cloaked in the flowing robes of patriotism. Okowa’s justification for this political somersault – that President Tinubu should complete an eight-year tenure for Nigeria’s stability, is a masterclass in self-serving rhetoric. This from a man who, as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate in 2023, championed the PDP’s cause. His sudden shift raises questions about the sincerity of his convictions and the integrity of his political journey.
The backdrop to this defection is marred by serious allegations. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested Okowa over the alleged diversion of N1.3 trillion in derivation funds during his tenure as Delta State governor. While he claims these allegations are politically motivated, the gravity of the accusations cannot be dismissed lightly. The EFCC’s probe into his financial dealings, including alleged investments in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas and property acquisitions in Abuja and Asaba, casts a long shadow over his political maneuvers. Okowa, now dancing to the tune of the very cabal he once opposed, claims he merely “honored an invitation.” How quaint. As though corruption were a polite guest, sipping tea in the drawing room.
Okowa’s defection, along with the entire PDP machinery in Delta State, to the APC, is not just a personal betrayal but a subversion of the democratic mandate. The PDP’s National Working Committee has rightly directed legal action to reclaim the offices of those who defected, emphasizing that such moves are unconstitutional when there’s no crisis in the party. Make no mistake: this is not defection. It is political prostitution, a grand betrayal dressed in agbada, dripping with cowardice and contempt. Okowa has sold not only his soul, but the collective mandate of Deltans who entrusted him with their future. He has walked out on them mid-prayer, mid-plight, and mid-promise, not out of principle, but out of panic.
And now he dares to moralize, dragging Bukola Saraki’s name into his cesspool of justifications, as though defection is a lineage one inherits like a family heirloom. This is not the wisdom of a seasoned politician – this is the stammering of a man who has set fire to his house, and now lectures others on fire safety. Let it be known: Nigeria cannot be stabilized by rewarding treachery. Tinubu’s eight-year ambition is not a sacred covenant but a political fiction that Okowa now repeats like a man reciting scripture in exchange for absolution.
What we are witnessing is the final form of stomach politics, where conviction is weighed not by justice or ideology, but by which side of the aisle offers the bigger banquet. Where men like Okowa, bloated with self-regard, discard legacy and loyalty to squat at the high table of the oppressors. This is the kind of betrayal that echoes – it echoes in empty hospitals, unpaid pensions, dilapidated schools, and the barren stomachs of children in Asaba. It echoes in the corridors of EFCC offices where case files gather dust as defectors rebrand themselves as saints. This episode serves as a stark reminder of the perils of political expediency. When leaders prioritize personal gain over public service, democracy suffers. Okowa’s actions underscore the need for vigilance and accountability in our political system. The electorate must remember these betrayals and hold such leaders to account.
But history is not as forgiving as the APC. And the people, when the spell breaks, will remember. So let it be written in the darkest ink: Okowa has chosen the path of Judas, but unlike Judas, he has not the decency to hang his shame on a tree. He wears it boldly, like a medal of dishonor, smiling, justifying, making excuses and spinning tales for the weak-willed. May every Nigerian with a pulse and a conscience reject this theatre of betrayal. May Delta rise not with the traitors but with the truth. And may we, someday, bury stomach politics beneath the rubble of a reborn republic, where loyalty is to country, not cabal; to people, not personal gain. Let the likes of Okowa be remembered, not as leaders, but as a warning: that he who feasts at the table of tyrants will, in time, be devoured by history. In the end, the true measure of a leader is not in their words but in their deeds. Senator Okowa’s recent actions speak volumes, and history will judge him accordingly.
