ABUJA, Nigeria — The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed to pursue legal action against Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, former governor Ifeanyi Okowa, and other party stakeholders who recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying it is determined to recover its “stolen mandate.”
At a press briefing following the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting held on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, in Abuja, Umar Damagun, the PDP’s acting national chairman, said the party had instructed its national legal adviser to initiate proceedings over what it described as an “unconstitutional transfer of mandates.”
Oborevwori and Okowa, alongside several top Delta State officials and party chieftains, formally defected to the APC on Monday, April 28, 2025, in what the PDP described as a shocking betrayal.
“In view of the recent defection of key leaders in Delta State, we have resolved to dissolve all party structures in the state with immediate effect,” Damagun told reporters.
He said the PDP’s South-South Zonal Caretaker Committee would assume control of the party’s affairs in Delta State until an interim leadership is constituted.
“We also instructed the national legal adviser to recover our mandate that they have taken away,” he said.
“The fortune of this party cannot be left in the hands of our adversaries. We will take legal action to retrieve those mandates.”
While acknowledging the political blow the mass defections represent, Damagun urged party members across the country to remain calm and resilient.
“Elections are not won by leaders alone but by the people,” he said. “The 2027 election is not about the PDP versus APC. It will be APC versus Nigerians.”
The PDP’s latest move comes amid concerns that the opposition party is rapidly losing ground to the APC, following a string of defections in recent months.
However, Damagun insisted the PDP remains strong and committed to its democratic ideals.
“We have survived greater storms,” he added. “And with the support of the people, we will rise again.”
