2023: PDP had no chance against APC- Okowa

• … reveals pre-election prediction

By Lateef Ibrahim

Former Delta State governor and 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) vice-presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa, has revealed that he was convinced the party would lose the 2023 presidential election even before Nigerians went to the polls.

Okowa disclosed this at a recent event in Delta State, saying his assessment of the political situation had led him to predict the eventual ranking of the three major contenders.

According to him, he had informed Christian leaders before the election that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would emerge victorious, with the PDP finishing second and the Labour Party coming third.

“I knew we would not win the election. And even when I met with the Christian leaders, I told them that APC will win, while PDP will come second and then Labour Party will come third,” Okowa said.

His revelation comes against the backdrop of the closely contested 2023 presidential election, in which the APC’s Bola Tinubu was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Atiku Abubakar, whom Okowa served as running mate, finished second, while Labour Party candidate Peter Obi came third.

Okowa’s comments suggest that, despite being part of the PDP’s presidential campaign, he had already assessed the party’s electoral prospects as weak ahead of the contest.

The 2023 election was marked by intense competition among APC, PDP and Labour Party, with the emergence of Obi as a major contender significantly altering the traditional two-party dominance of APC and PDP.