Abba Moro: Picking Okowa as Atiku’s Running Mate in 2023 Was a Serious Mistake

Abba Moro, the senator representing Benue South, has stated that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) made a critical error by selecting Ifeanyi Okowa as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate in the 2023 presidential election. Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Moro argued that the party would have secured a victory if another candidate had been chosen instead of Okowa, the former governor of Delta State.

Moro’s comments follow recent remarks by Okowa, who admitted to regretting his role as Atiku’s vice-presidential candidate. In an interview on Arise Television’s Morning Show, Okowa revealed that his decision to join the ticket went against the will of his people. This statement came after Okowa and Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, both former PDP members, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on April 23, citing the need to connect with Abuja for the betterment of the people of Delta State.

Moro, however, criticized Okowa’s defection and regretful remarks, suggesting that his lack of commitment to the PDP was evident in his failure to deliver his home state for the party. “Given what we know now, with the hindsight that we have now, some of us think that the party would have won the election if other candidates, other than Okowa, had been picked as the vice-presidential candidate from the South,” Moro said.

He further noted that it was a poor judgment to select Okowa, considering that a sitting governor and former senator failed to secure his own state for the presidential candidate. Moro also pointed out that two of the senators from Delta were from opposition parties, which further highlighted the misstep in Okowa’s selection.

In conclusion, Moro emphasized that Okowa’s actions reflected a lack of dedication to the PDP, ultimately contributing to the party’s poor performance in the 2023 elections, particularly in Delta State. “His soul was not in the PDP. His soul was not in that election, and that is why we performed very miserably in Delta state,” he said.