In 2023, Obi had no Gov. With him but Got 6m votes. Okowa and all PDP Govs can go to APC – According to Salako

The political landscape in Nigeria is shifting once again, with a major wave of defections shaking the ranks of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Most notably, the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, and his predecessor, former Vice Presidential candidate Ifeanyi Okowa, have reportedly decamped to the All Progressives Congress (APC), sparking heated conversations across the political spectrum.

The mass movement, which also included several members of the Delta state cabinet, comes amid ongoing internal crises within the PDP. Reports suggest that more PDP governors might follow suit, as the party continues to grapple with internal instability, strategic disunity, and mounting defections.

Reacting to the news, Ife Salako, spokesperson for the Labour Party in Lagos, took to X to weigh in on the developments — and he didn’t hold back.

“Okowa and all PDP Governors can defect to APC for all I care,” he wrote. “Let me just remind you all that Peter Obi had not one Governor with him in 2023 and he secured 6 million votes out of all the votes he got.”

Salako’s post not only dismissed the political weight of defecting PDP governors but doubled down on the strength of Peter Obi’s grassroots movement. In 2023, despite running against political heavyweights backed by state machinery and party structures, Obi emerged as a major force in Nigerian politics, amassing over 6 million votes nationally — an unprecedented feat for a third-party candidate in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic.

Salako added,

“Now, he has 6 million soldiers to defend his votes. PETER OBI WILL WIN 2027 ELECTION EFFORTLESSLY!”

His comments reflect a growing confidence within the Labour Party and Obi’s support base — a movement driven less by political elites and more by everyday Nigerians, many of whom identify with Obi’s message of accountability, youth inclusion, and nation-building. As the 2027 elections inch closer, analysts say defections may continue, but the real political battleground could lie beyond traditional structures — among the voters, online spaces, and grassroots networks that showed their power in 2023.