Okowa Regrets Running Mate Role with Atiku in 2023 Election

Former Delta State Governor and 2023 vice-presidential candidate under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has openly expressed regret over his decision to run alongside Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in the last presidential election.

Okowa, who served as Atiku’s running mate in the hotly contested 2023 general election, made the revelation during a closed-door political meeting with PDP stakeholders, sources confirmed.

Though the meeting was not initially open to the media, details have since surfaced, sparking renewed debate over the internal politics of the opposition party.

“I wish I had taken a different path. In hindsight, accepting to run with Atiku was not the best decision,” Okowa was quoted as saying by a source present at the gathering.

His admission marks a significant turn from his earlier public stance, where he defended his nomination as a product of loyalty to the PDP and a strategic move aimed at rescuing Nigeria from economic and security challenges.

The decision to join Atiku’s ticket drew sharp criticism in 2022 from Southern political leaders and groups, including elder statesman Chief Edwin Clark and the Southern and Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum (SMBLF), who accused Okowa of betraying the collective resolution by Southern governors that the presidency should rotate to the South following President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure.

Chief Clark, in a strongly worded letter, had described Okowa as a “traitor,” calling his acceptance of the vice-presidential slot a betrayal of the South’s political interest.

While Okowa stood his ground during the campaign period, insisting that his decision was aligned with the party’s open primary approach, the fallout from the election and the PDP’s failure to clinch power appear to have changed his perspective.

Political analysts say Okowa’s recent comments could reignite tension within the PDP and add to the calls for restructuring and greater transparency in decision-making within the party ahead of the 2027 elections.

Neither Atiku Abubakar nor the PDP leadership has publicly responded to Okowa’s remarks as of press time.