Okowa knew Atiku would lose the 2023 poll, saying he predicted an APC victory, PDP second and Labour Party third before election day
Former Delta State Governor and 2023 Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, vice-presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa, has revealed that he knew Atiku Abubakar would lose the presidential election even before Nigerians went to the polls.
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Okowa made the disclosure at a recent event in Delta State, reflecting on the political atmosphere surrounding the 2023 presidential contest.
The former governor said his assessment of the political situation had convinced him that the All Progressives Congress, APC, would win the election, while the PDP would finish second and the Labour Party would come third.
Okowa said he had shared his prediction with Christian leaders before the election, despite serving as the running mate to Atiku, the PDP’s presidential candidate.
“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,” he said.
His comments provide a revealing glimpse into the thinking of one of the senior figures involved in the PDP campaign before the final results were declared.
The 2023 presidential election was a closely watched three-way contest involving APC candidate Bola Ahmed Tinubu, PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar and Labour Party candidate Peter Obi.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, eventually declared Tinubu the winner with 8,794,726 votes. Atiku polled 6,984,520 votes, while Obi secured 6,101,533 votes.
The result meant that Atiku finished second, as Okowa had predicted, while Obi came third.
The election was notable for the strong performance of Obi, who had left the PDP and joined the Labour Party after previously seeking the PDP presidential ticket.
Obi’s candidacy attracted considerable support, particularly among younger voters and in parts of southern Nigeria, turning the election into a competitive three-way race rather than a straightforward contest between the APC and PDP.
Atiku had previously contested the presidency several times and entered the 2023 election with significant political experience and a nationwide campaign structure.
His defeat nevertheless extended his unsuccessful pursuit of Nigeria’s highest office.
Tinubu’s victory also marked the culmination of a long political career that included his tenure as governor of Lagos State and his role in the formation and development of the APC.
Okowa’s latest disclosure comes as political parties and opposition figures prepare for another presidential contest in 2027.
The PDP’s experience in 2023 remains an important reference point in discussions about opposition unity, candidate selection and the impact of multiple major candidates dividing the electorate.
The former Delta governor did not, in the remarks reported, provide detailed reasons for his pre-election assessment or explain precisely why he believed the PDP was unlikely to defeat the APC.
His prediction, however, ultimately matched the final ranking of the three leading candidates.
The disclosure is likely to renew discussion about the internal calculations within the PDP during the 2023 campaign and whether the party’s leadership fully understood the challenges it faced before election day.
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With the 2027 election already shaping political alliances across Nigeria, the lessons of the 2023 contest are expected to remain central to debates over how opposition parties can build a stronger electoral strategy.
