News reports that Okowa made the remarks on Tuesday while speaking at a meeting with All Progressives Congress (APC) stakeholders in Oshimili South Local Government Area. The gathering is part of ongoing consultations linked to his 2027 Senate ambition.

Okowa said that contrary to Nwoko’s position, people of Delta North actually support the creation of Anioma State within the South-South geopolitical zone, with Asaba as its capital, rather than aligning it with the South-East.

He criticised Nwoko’s approach, describing the push as misleading and poorly thought out, while recalling the role of an Asaba indigene who fought for the city to become the capital of Delta State.

According to him, the current agitation for Anioma State has been handled in a unilateral manner, without proper consultation with the wider population.

Okowa stressed that such a major political demand should not be driven by individual interests, insisting that collective agreement is necessary.

He argued that leaders must remain connected to their people and consider majority opinion, warning against decisions taken without broad consultation.

He also noted that the process of creating new states is not currently at a critical stage in the legislative timetable, suggesting that the agitation at this time may be misplaced.

Okowa maintained that the push for Anioma State should remain a collective aspiration, adding that when the time eventually comes, it should reflect the genuine will of the people of the area.

The delegation was led by the Governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, during a high-level engagement focused on development priorities in the state and the wider South-East region.

During the meeting, President Tinubu assured the stakeholders of continued federal attention to key infrastructure challenges, particularly in transport and power.

Addressing the delegation, he noted that major projects such as the Port Harcourt–Enugu rail line, ongoing power sector reforms, and other critical infrastructure needed for economic growth would receive greater attention from his administration.

Governor Mbah recently left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the All Progressives Congress (APC), a development that has continued to generate political reactions.

Meanwhile, the PDP has reacted to the wave of defections from its ranks to the APC, saying the affected governors and political leaders would soon regret their decisions.

The opposition party made the comment after the APC ruled out automatic tickets for defecting governors.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, accused the defectors of acting out of personal interest rather than the welfare of citizens, adding that their actions were not surprising.

He further stated that the APC does not truly value its members and described the situation as the beginning of regret for those who left the PDP.

Several governors, including those from Akwa Ibom, Delta, Enugu, Taraba, Rivers, and Kano States, alongside lawmakers and other political figures, have recently moved from the PDP to the APC.