A purported leaked audio recording attributed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio has stirred fresh controversy after a voice said to be his claimed that former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) because of fears surrounding his corruption investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), rather than out of genuine political conviction.
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The recording, which was released and circulated by Sandra Duru, contains discussions about political developments in Delta State and the circumstances surrounding Okowa’s movement from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling APC.
The authenticity, date and complete context of the recording have not been independently established, and reports reviewed as of Saturday did not show that Akpabio or his office had publicly confirmed the recording as authentic.
In the audio, the voice attributed to Akpabio was heard saying: “Okowa came [into the APC] because of fears of his corruption cases; it’s not because of his sincerity.”
The speaker also suggested that Okowa had little involvement in the processes surrounding the emergence of the APC’s new national leadership.
“Okowa didn’t know anything about the new chairman of the party. When the new chairman of the party was coming, it was between me and the president,” the voice said.
The purported conversation also touched on the political arrangements in Delta State ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the voice attributed to the Senate President claiming that he played a role in Okowa securing the APC senatorial ticket for Delta North.
Okowa, who served as Delta State governor between 2015 and 2023 and was the vice-presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 general election, defected to the APC alongside his successor, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, and other leading members of the PDP structure in Delta State in April 2025.
At the time, Okowa publicly defended the political realignment as being in the interest of Delta State, saying there was a need for the state to “connect to Abuja” and benefit from the goodwill and resources available at the federal level.
His associates have previously denied suggestions that the move to the APC was intended to shield him from investigation or prosecution.
The controversy comes against the background of an ongoing EFCC investigation involving allegations over the handling of approximately ₦1.3 trillion in 13 per cent oil derivation funds received by Delta State during Okowa’s tenure.
Okowa was questioned by the anti-graft commission in November 2024 over allegations concerning the management of the funds and investments said to include interests in the oil and gas sector. The allegations have not resulted in a conviction, and Okowa is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
The EFCC has separately maintained that Okowa’s defection to the APC did not terminate the investigation.
Speaking in October 2025, EFCC Director of Legal and Prosecution, Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, said the matter remained under investigation despite the former governor’s movement to the ruling party.
“To the best of my knowledge, that case is still undergoing investigation. And in due course, justice will be served,” Tahir said.
Reports in June 2026 also indicated that Okowa visited the EFCC’s Lagos office while investigations relating to the allegations remained ongoing. The commission had not, at the time, announced the conclusion of the probe or filed a publicly reported conviction against him.
The latest leaked recording therefore introduces a politically sensitive dimension to earlier speculation that Okowa’s defection was connected to his legal difficulties, although the statement attributed to Akpabio does not itself establish that the EFCC stopped, altered or compromised its investigation.
Indeed, the anti-graft agency’s previously stated position is that the investigation remained active after Okowa joined the APC.
The recording released by Duru contains other political discussions involving Akpabio and several political figures. Some reports said it formed part of a roughly nine-minute audio clip which Duru described as a preview of further disclosures.
The same recording has generated separate reports concerning the prolonged dispute involving Akpabio and Kogi Central Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. Duru has made fresh claims about her previous dealings with the Senate President, reversing aspects of positions she publicly took during the controversy in 2025. Those claims are contested, and the authenticity and full context of the newly released recording have not been independently verified.
As of the reports reviewed, Akpabio’s office had not issued a detailed statement specifically confirming or denying the authenticity of the recording or addressing the comments attributed to him about Okowa.
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