Abuja – April 30, 2025
By Fresh Facts Staff Writer
Comrade Timi Frank, former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has launched a scathing attack on former Delta State Governor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, accusing him of desperation, betrayal, and dishonesty over his emergence as the 2023 vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Frank, in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, condemned recent reports quoting Okowa as saying he “regrets” accepting to be the running mate of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, PDP’s presidential flagbearer in the last general election.
While conceding that Okowa might have been misquoted, Frank argued that the former governor’s failure to publicly deny the statement after more than 24 hours was an indication that he stood by it.
According to Frank, “Okowa’s claim is an afterthought and reeks of cowardice. We know how he begged, fought, and lobbied to get the position. His sudden expression of regret is disingenuous and a distortion of history.”
Frank, who currently serves as the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, described Okowa as “a serial liar, betrayer, and a politically hollow figure” whose recent defection to the APC only affirms his lack of integrity.
“This is not the first time Okowa has betrayed his political allies. The story of how he turned his back on his godfather, former Governor James Ibori, is still fresh in the minds of Nigerians,” he said.
Frank revealed that a faction within the PDP, including himself, had opposed Okowa’s nomination as Atiku’s running mate, favouring then-Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike instead. He claimed Okowa’s backdoor lobbying, through party elders and powerbrokers, eventually swayed Atiku’s decision.
“We are still of the opinion that if Wike had emerged as Atiku’s running mate, perhaps the PDP would be in government today,” he said, noting that Okowa’s candidacy brought little to the ticket, even as a sitting governor.
Frank further alleged that the PDP’s loss in Delta State during the presidential election underscored Okowa’s “lack of political value,” warning that his switch to the APC will not improve the ruling party’s prospects in 2027.
“Even with Okowa in APC, the party will still lose Delta in the next election, just like PDP did in 2023,” he said.
The former APC spokesman linked Okowa’s move to the ruling party to ongoing corruption investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), suggesting the former governor defected in hopes of evading prosecution.
“With President Tinubu desperate to retain power in 2027, the APC has become a dumping ground for looters,” Frank alleged. “Okowa is not joining APC because of ideology or performance but out of fear of prosecution.”
He also accused Okowa of dragging current Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori into the APC fold, saying the governor was “coaxed and begged” into joining by his predecessor.
Frank concluded by blaming Okowa for PDP’s defeat in the 2023 election, arguing that his inclusion on the ticket alienated key allies, including James Ibori, who had advised Atiku against the choice.
“Atiku had no idea that beneath Okowa’s calm demeanor lies an ingrate and betrayer. Only God and history will judge him for his role in Atiku’s defeat,” Frank declared.
