Senate President Godswill Akpabio has claimed that former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa joined the All Progressives Congress because of fears surrounding his corruption case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Akpabio made the claim in an alleged leaked audio conversation with one Sandra Duru, saying Okowa’s decision to join the ruling party was motivated by concerns over the EFCC investigation.
“Okowa came (into the APC) because of fears of his corruption cases; it’s not because of his sincerity,” Mr Akpabio said in a leaked audio conversation with one Sandra Duru.
The Senate President further claimed that Okowa was not familiar with the APC’s leadership structure when he defected, saying his own discussions with President Bola Tinubu played a role in the emergence of the party’s new chairman.
“Okowa didn’t know anything about the new chairman of the party. When the new chairman of the party was coming, it was between me and the president.”
Akpabio also spoke about the political calculations surrounding Delta State, claiming that he played a role in helping Okowa secure the APC senatorial ticket for Delta North ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The claims came months after the EFCC arrested Okowa over allegations involving N1.3tn in oil derivation funds. The former governor was accused of looting and acquiring assets valued at up to N1.3tn, including substantial shares in UTM Floating Liquefied Natural Gas Company and other investments in the oil sector.
Okowa, who was Atiku Abubakar’s running mate on the Peoples Democratic Party platform in the 2023 presidential election, later joined the APC alongside his successor, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, serving commissioners, local government chairpersons and other PDP leaders in Delta State.
Explaining the defection at the time, Okowa said the decision was driven by the need for Delta State to establish a stronger connection with the Federal Government.
“It was not about me. It was not about the governor, but the fact that there is the need for us to connect to Abuja. That goodwill that is in Abuja, that resource that is in Abuja, of which Delta State is a large contributor, there was a need to connect to it,” the former governor said.
Despite Okowa’s defection to the ruling party, the EFCC said its investigation into the former governor had not been discontinued.
“To the best of my knowledge, that case is still undergoing investigation. And in due course, justice will be served,” Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, EFCC’s director of legal and prosecution, noted.
