The Deeper Implications Of Ned Nwoko’s Defection 

 Some of us, particularly those who have been following Delta State politics as it relates to the state’s governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, the state’s immediate past governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, and the senator representing the Delta North District in the Senate, Ned Nwoko, knew this day would come! 

For some of us, the Okpai gas issue pitted the senator against his governor, sowing the seed of the controversy that has led to the senator’s departure from the platform that has given him all the relevance he has made as a politician, beginning with when he represented the good people of Aniocha/Oshimili Federal Constituency and ending with his current position. 

The issue had barely been settled when the senator told the media at a press conference in Delta State that he was considering leaving the People Democratic Party (PDP), which has propelled him to his current political position. 

In a recent letter to the chairman of his party’s Ward 8 Idumuje Ugboko in Aniocha North Local Government Area, he made good on his threat to throw in the towel. While we are not concerned with his decision to defect, we are curious about why he crossed carpets. 

The defection is clearing the way for Okowa to secure the party’s ticket in 2027, with speculation that he is planning to retire to the Senate, where he served only one term before becoming governor of the oil-rich state, after failing miserably to become Nigeria’s vice president in 2023. 

Most Anioma people, as the senatorial district is known, believed that only Nwoko had what it took to be a stumbling block in the ex-governor’s bid to return to the senate, but Nwoko has withdrawn before the contest even begins. He gave up. Leaving the ticket for Okowa to take; as of now, there is no one in the area strong enough to challenge Okowa. However, as the saying goes in politics, 24 hours is more than 24 months, and the EFCC, which has been following the former governor, is lurking around. Until then, only time will tell! 

Again, the anticipated epic battle for the PDP ticket between Nwoko and Okowa has ended in flames with the defection. 

His ward chairman has described him as a “serial defector” who has never achieved anything politically from any of the parties to which he has defected in the past.