The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has resolved to take legal action against Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and other prominent members who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), in a bid to reclaim what the party described as its stolen mandate.

The decision followed a six-hour closed-door meeting held at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday. A communiqué issued after the meeting stated that the party’s National Legal Adviser had been directed to commence legal proceedings to retrieve the mandate from the defectors.

Acting PDP National Chairman, Umar Damagum, said the party would not sit idly by while its electoral victories were lost through defection. “We have also instructed the national legal adviser to recover our mandate that they have taken away. The fortune of this party cannot be just left in the hands of our adversaries,” he said.

To stabilise the party’s structure in Delta, the NWC appointed South-South Zonal Chairman, Emma Ogidi, to oversee the reorganisation of the party’s operations in the state. Damagum also confirmed the dissolution of all existing party structures in Delta, stating that many had defected alongside the governor.

As part of broader efforts to reposition the PDP, the NWC adopted recommendations from the PDP Governors’ Forum and announced that its next National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting would hold on May 28. The party’s National Convention is scheduled for August 28 to 30, 2025.

Governor Oborevwori, his deputy Monday Onyeme, and a significant number of political allies—including commissioners, local government chairmen, and grassroots party members—defected to the APC on April 23. They were formally welcomed by APC heavyweights including Vice President Kashim Shettima, National Chairman Abdullahi Ganduje, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, and Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma.

Also among the defectors was former Delta State Governor and PDP’s 2023 vice-presidential candidate, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa, in what political observers have dubbed a major realignment that dismantled the PDP’s long-standing dominance in the oil-rich state.

The APC described the defection wave as more than just a political shift, calling it a “movement” that sets the stage for the 2027 general elections.