Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori described the defection of PDP members to APC as a historic movement in the best interest of the state.
He pledged to unify the party to ensure total victory for it in the coming elections.
Oborevwori said; “what you have seen here today is a movement: it’s not a defection; it’s a movement. We have done consultations with our National Assembly members, with leadership, with stakeholders at the state level, at the senatorial level, at the local government level, at the ward level and we all decided that we must all join.
“This is Delta State; we cannot carry last. When we stand for something, we remain committed to it; we have been in opposition for almost 10 years.
“Do we need that? Mr. President has supported us, he has shown us love. We cannot face him in 2027 to work against him. That love that he has shown to us in Delta State, we need to reciprocate it.
“We cannot do it in our own party. We have to be inside to do it, and to do it well”, saying; “when you consult widely you see everybody will come with you and you can see that the love is organic: you can see my relationship with governors; you see all the governors here.
“You see the large number of governors: yesterday 9 came and slept over. Today, see all of them here. I want to bless all of you; I want to thank all of you.
“This is a movement: this is not a defection; we have agreed we will move together and when we move together, what is at the national we will be able to grab it.
“Our members in the National Assembly they are the next; they have agreed they will all defect on the floor of the house, and we have justification to move.
“All of us want to be in the Renew Hope Agenda which is in line with my MORE Agenda. ”
He stressed, “For us in Delta State, it’s a statement and I believe other governors will join because it’s a movement and when you have a movement, you don’t fail.
“There are some things people say in newspapers, that there is confusion, there is a faction in Delta APC. As I have come, there will be no faction again. Let me tell you, the Governor takes charge, and we are taking charge.
“I don’t believe in any faction, whether Omo-Agege or Keyamo faction, everybody must queue and we will unite the party to move this state forward for the benefit of our people and to bring development, peace and unity to our state and Nigeria.”
National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, applauded the cordial relationship between the Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori and his predecessor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa.
Ganduje said the National Working Committee, NWC of the party was highly impressed because of the cordial relationship existing between the predecessor and successor which, according to him, was very rare in the country.
“So, we have to thank Dr. Okowa for that good relationship. Ladies and gentlemen, my job is very important which is accepting, welcoming and also, embracing the Governor and the people of Delta State into our great party, the APC.
“Mr. Governor, what l would like to tell you while accepting you into our party, is that our core value in APC is progressive leadership and coincidently, from what we have seen on the ground in respect of your programmes and your projects, you are a progressive Governor.
“So, we are welcoming you for coming home. We believe in progressive ideas, we believe in proximity, interacting with different levels of our party; we believe in openness, we believe in internal democracy, we believe in self -accountability and we thank you for coming in,” he said.
Earlier, the Chairman of the Progressives Governors’ Forum and Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma said the ceremony was quite historic and special in the life of the APC as a political party.
Senator Uzodinma, who disclosed that members of the APC were happy with the new political development in Delta State, said that the All Progressives Congress meant well for the country.
“We are here to identify with you. We, therefore, urge all Deltans to continue to support their Governor as he consolidates on the achievements his administration has recorded so far,” he added.
On his part, the immediate past Governor of the State, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa explained that the decision to change political direction was made for the common good and in the best interest of the state.
“It was not about personal ambitions but the need to connect to Abuja, where significant goodwill and resources exist, especially since the state is a major contributor.
Reflecting on his experience as a former governor in opposition, Okowa emphasized that while Governor Sheriff Oborevwori was performing well, aligning with Abuja would strengthen his efforts.
He called for strong support for both the President and the Governor, believing that the unity would allow them to dominate the political landscape of Delta State.
The ceremony was attended by 16 Governors of the APC and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Benjamin Kalu, among others