When The Betrayers Return: Oborevwori’s Defection And The Irony Of Political Survival

Politics in Nigeria, especially in Delta State, has always danced to the rhythm of survival, not necessarily loyalty. The recent defection of Governor Sheriff Oborevwori has unveiled an irony too bitter for some to swallow and too delicious for others to exploit. While the headlines hail his move as strategic, for many of us who have laboured in the trenches of the All Progressives Congress (APC), it is a season of painful clarity and unsettling déjà vu.

There are appointees, men and women, who once derided, scorned, and mocked the APC, its leaders, and loyal members. They built their relevance on disdain for the opposition. They used APC members as stepping stones in private and then stones of mockery in public. They dismissed bridges once used to cross murky waters and joined the chorus of those who mocked the party’s prospects. Today, the same tide that elevated them is washing them back to the very banks they spat upon.

And they do not return of their own volition. The Governor’s defection is not merely a personal repositioning; it is an orchestrated exodus. Under his directive, all his appointees, along with the broader PDP structure in Delta, have been compelled to defect. It is not a move of conscience but one of compulsion, a political migration driven not by principle, but by pressure. Now, they return, not as prodigals humbled by conviction, but as political chameleons obeying a command for survival.

In desperation, they hope to swiftly return to retain their seats, tails between their legs, attempting to sit once again at the table of strategy with the same people they once labelled as inconsequential. They would manoeuvre, massage egos, and seek soft landings, pretending amnesia as though the past were not documented in the memories of those they betrayed. For them, political survival trumps conscience.

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But what becomes of the true APC foot soldiers? Those who toiled without appointment or reward, who stayed when it was most difficult, who absorbed insults and slander but kept faith in the ideology and the people? Shall they now be compelled to sit at the same table with their former traducers, now returning with sheepish grins and cosmetic humility?

This defection, while strategic for some, is also symbolic. It is a reminder that Nigerian politics often rewards bold betrayal over faithful consistency. But in this shifting landscape, let no one assume that the past will be forgotten or that strategy can erase scars. The APC must now decide: will it honour its loyalists or yield its soul to political rebranding by old adversaries?

Yes, the defection brings light to the trenches; an opportunity for recognition and repositioning. But light must also expose. It must reveal who truly belongs and who merely follows power. The APC must not trade its values for numbers, nor should it forget those who stayed when staying was hardest.

As we welcome those who genuinely repent, let us not be blind to those who merely seek relevance. Not all returnees are prodigal sons; some are political chameleons, ever adapting, never rooted. The time to draw the line is now. Loyalty must count for something, else betrayal will become the new currency of power.

Sir Divramredje Lawrence Efeturi, KSJI, ASCIEPUK
A Staunch APC Stalwart, writes from Isoko North.