By EOB Media Team
For twenty-six unbroken years, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held the reins of power in Delta State. It was more than a political party — it became an institution, a culture, and, for many, a way of life. From the dawn of the Fourth Republic in 1999 to the dramatic political twist of April 25th, 2025, PDP governed Delta with a mix of charisma, continuity, and calculated strategy.
Now, that era has come to a stunning close.
The defection of Governor Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori to the All Progressives Congress (APC), along with his entire cabinet, 25 local government chairmen, hundreds of elected councilors, and even his predecessor, Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, was not just a routine case of political realignment. It was a tectonic shift that has dismantled the very structure PDP built — one election cycle at a time — over two and a half decades.
This editorial is not about blame or praise. It is about history, closure, and perspective.
The PDP era brought Delta State four successive governors — each one building on the legacy of the other, each interpreting governance through his unique lens:
- Chief James Ibori gave the party its roots and structure, establishing DESOPADEC, expanding access to tertiary education, and paving the early roads of progress.
- Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan pursued peace and health, calming the restive creeks and pushing for a Delta “beyond oil.”
- Senator Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa decentralized development with massive youth empowerment programs, educational reforms, and a landmark creation of three new universities.
- Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, though barely two years in office, held the flame of continuity — until he decided to put it out.
Yes, the PDP had its failings. There were allegations of corruption, internal wranglings, and criticisms over equity and inclusion. But it also held Delta together during some of the nation’s toughest years — the oil militancy crisis, national recessions, pandemics, and political turbulence.
Its end came not by election defeat, but by internal collapse. That’s the irony. PDP in Delta was not voted out — it defected out.
What does this mean for democracy in Delta? The short answer: uncertainty. The PDP created a broad base of political engagement, nurtured leaders from across ethnic divides, and built a network of patronage and progress. Whether the APC, now suddenly in control, can preserve and elevate those structures remains to be seen.
But for now, we mark the end of an era — with respect, with questions, and with the bittersweet awareness that no political dynasty lasts forever.
Delta moves on. History takes note. The PDP — for all its glories and scars — has taken its final bow on the Delta stage.
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