2027: Obuebite defends defection to APC, addresses past criticisms

Jonathan Obuebite, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Brass/Nembe Federal Constituency in the 2027 general elections, has defended his political realignment, saying his previous criticisms of the party were made while he was speaking on behalf of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr Obuebite, a former member of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly and former PDP spokesperson in the state, spoke on Arise Television’s The Morning Show on Wednesday.

During the interview, presenter Rufai Oseni confronted him with his earlier comments describing the APC as a party associated with propaganda, violence, and electoral malpractice, asking whether the party he once criticised is now acceptable to him.

Responding, Mr Obuebite acknowledged making some of the statements but said he made them in his capacity as a party spokesperson.

“As a politician, I have served as spokesman for my party, and I was a very strong member of the PDP. I must tell you this: the former president, Goodluck Jonathan, is my father,” he said.

He added that his political position changed because of developments in the country and the situation within the PDP.

Mr Obuebite, however, rejected the suggestion that his previous criticisms were necessarily factual, insisting that most of the allegations raised by the interviewer did not happen.

“Most of those things you are saying never happened. But as a party person, I spoke and marketed my party. I know I’m a good product, and I marketed that product, and you can see the result,” he said

Past criticisms

Mr Obuebite’s comments contrast with some of his public statements during the 2015 Bayelsa governorship election, when he served as Director of Publicity of the PDP Restoration Campaign Organisation.

In November 2015, he accused the APC of plotting to rig the Bayelsa governorship election through alleged attempts to compromise officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies.

He also alleged that the party was working with two northern governors and individuals in the Presidency to influence the election. The APC dismissed the allegations as false and unfounded.

In December 2015, Mr Obuebite again criticised the APC over claims surrounding Former Bayelsa State Governor Henry Dickson’s visit to the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

Describing the claims as “propaganda and recurring lies”, he said the APC had been rejected by the people of Bayelsa.

“The APC has lost, and they know it. No amount of propaganda and blackmail will return them as winners. They have been roundly rejected by the people, and we truly sympathise with them because the APC is finished in Bayelsa State,” Mr Obuebite declared.

Those statements formed part of the political exchanges between the PDP and APC during the 2015 governorship election in Bayelsa.

Support for APC

Speaking further on Arise, Mr Obuebite also defended the decision by Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri and his political allies to align with the APC, citing what he described as federal support for major development projects in the state.

He said the Nembe-Brass road project has long been a demand of the people in the two local government areas.

According to him, the first phase of the road, covering 21 kilometres, is progressing, while the second phase has been awarded under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

He said previous efforts to secure federal government collaboration on the project during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari were unsuccessful.

Mr Obuebite also cited the state’s independent power project, saying the Tinubu administration granted waivers for the importation of turbines and other equipment for the facility.

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He said the project was important to the state’s industrialisation and economic development.

Mr Obuebite further praised President Tinubu for his commitment to a free and fair electoral process during Governor Diri’s re-election.

He said the president allowed INEC to perform its duties without interference.

Political background

Mr Obuebite served two terms in the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, representing Nembe Constituency I, and held the position of Chief Whip.

He also served as Commissioner for Information, Strategy and Orientation under former Governor Seriake Dickson and held other political appointments in the state.

He is the APC’s candidate for Brass/Nembe Federal Constituency ahead of the 2027 general elections.