A former Information Commissioner in Edo state, Kassim Afegbua, has given notice that he would leave the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) over the election of Delta Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as the party’s vice-presidential candidate.
The PDP presidential candidate on Thursday afternoon introduced Mr. Okowa as his running mate in the February 25, 2023 presidential election.
But Okowa, who was also a spokesman for former military dictator Ibrahim Babangida, said Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike deserved the nomination over Okowa.
Wike came second in the PDP presidential primary on May 29 in an election in which Okowa led delegates from his state to vote for Atiku.
However, Afegbua described Atiku’s election of the governor of Delta state as a reward for treason, noting that Okowa had hosted the Southern Governors Forum meeting in Asaba last year, where the governors demanded that the next Nigerian president be produced by the southern region.
Mr. Afegbua spoke Thursday afternoon during a popular Arise News program, The Arise Interview.
Protesting the alleged betrayal of Mr. Okowa’s statement by supporting Atiku in the primaries and agreeing to be his running mate, Mr. Afegbua said he would stay out of the PDP and support the ruling Congress of All’s candidate. Progressives (APC). , Ball Tinubu, in the presidential elections.
Mr. Afegbua emphasized that he would not join APC, but would only campaign for his standard-bearer.
The outspoken former commissioner also rebelled against the PDP in 2020 for handing Governor Godwin Obaseki his ticket for re-election after the governor was disqualified from the APC gubernatorial primary for allegedly falsifying a transcript.
Mr. Obaseki went on to win the election on the PDP ticket, as the party suspended Mr. Afegbua for alleged anti-party activities.
