Okowa joined APC to avoid EFCC trouble, Akpabio drops bombshell

Nigerian Senate president Godswill Akpabio has been caught on tape questioning the sincerity of former Delta State governor Ifeanyi Okowa in joining the ruling party All Progressives Congress.

Senator Akpabio in a leaked audio tape from a conversation with Sandra Duru a public policy and strategy expert and circulating on social media alleged that Okowa joined the All-Progressives Congress to avoid being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged corrupt enrichment while serving as Delta State governor.

Okowa was quizzed by the EFCC over alleged misappropriation of N1.3 trillion in oil derivation funds received by Delta State during his tenure. A few months later he joined the APC, and nothing has been heard of the case.

“Okowa came (into the APC) because of fears of his corruption cases; it’s not because of his sincerity,” Akpabio said.

However, Okowa had maintained that he didn’t join the APC to avoid EFCC prosecution. He said in a previous interview: “There is a 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.”

Akpabio claimed that because Senator Ned Nwoko representing Delta North did not show him enough support during his sexual allegations battle with Senator Natasha Akpoti Uduaghan, he helped Okowa get the APC ticket for the Delta North Senatorial ticket in the 2027 election.

Okowa defeated Senator Ned Nwoko in the Delta North APC primaries; Nwoko alleged that he was rigged out by the Delta State government, promising to go to court, but he never did.

Okowa served as Delta governor between 2015 and 2023.