Former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa has explained his decision to abandon former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and support President Bola Tinubu, saying he has “seen the light” in the current administration’s economic reforms.
Okowa, who was Atiku’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election, made the remarks on Saturday during the APC presidential campaign rally in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.
He said his decision to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was driven by his conviction that Tinubu was taking necessary steps to address Nigeria’s longstanding economic challenges.
“You all know that in 2023 I was on another ticket, but I have seen the light, and I have seen what Mr President is doing for Nigeria,” he said.
According to him, successive administrations had weakened the country’s economic foundations, but Tinubu was now taking steps to rebuild them.
Okowa also praised the administration’s fiscal reforms, particularly the increased revenue allocations to state and local governments, saying they had improved the capacity of subnational governments to meet their financial obligations and execute projects.
He noted that many states and local governments could now pay workers’ salaries and pensions while embarking on development projects.
“Only a man who understands a nation’s economy can do this. The wonders that were done in Lagos are already being done in our country, Nigeria,” he added.
Okowa was selected by Atiku as his running mate ahead of the 2023 presidential election, a decision that generated controversy within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), particularly over the sidelining of then Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike.
The disagreement deepened divisions within the party and contributed to its internal crisis ahead of the election, which Tinubu eventually won.
In April 2025, Okowa had publicly expressed regret over accepting the vice-presidential ticket, arguing that the South had wanted to produce Buhari’s successor and that the PDP’s decision to field Atiku had worked against the party’s electoral prospects.
He also linked the decision to the PDP’s poor performance in Delta State during the 2023 presidential election.