* APC accused of arm twisting oppositions
* Opposition parties in disarray
* More defections expected
* As ruling party benefits most
Political alignments and realignments have already commenced ahead of the 2027 polls. Over the past few months, there have been gale of deflections of notable politicians and groups to one party or the other, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, being the major beneficiary.
First, it began with lawmakers, chiefly of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Labour Party, LP, defecting on the floor the National Assembly, and respective state assemblies.
The protracted crises in the two political parties have been cited has reasons for defections to the ruling APC.
The PDP which came second in the last general elections has lost its steam with internal wranglings and protracted crises. It has failed to put its house together, with a wave of defections of members.
Labour Party, LP, which made waves in the build up to the elections and came third in the Presidential election has also failed to consolidate its popularity. A good number of its lawmakers both at the state and national levels have defected to other parties.
Apart from APC, Social Democratic Party, SDP, is also pulling its weight in the build-up to the 2027 poll.
The entry of distraught former Kaduna State governor Nasir el’Rufai last month has no doubt swelled the political party.
El’Rufai defected from the APC after his running battles with the party and his successor, Uba Sani.
His feud with the party became pronounced after he lost his bid to secure ministerial appointment under the current government
The SDP and el’Rufai have boasted that many other prominent politicians would soon join the party.
While the ruling APC is the beneficiary of this wave of defections, the defection of el’Rufai cannot be ignored with a wave of the hand.
El’Rufai has been around for some time in the current political dispensation having been a former FCT minister and a vocal ex-governor, with influence across the nooks and crannies of the country.
His influence in the PDP should not be underestimated. He was DG of Bureau of Public Privatisation,.BPP, and notable minister under former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who ruled on the party’s platform.
With such offices held and his outspoken disposition, coupled with growing disaffection of a lot of politicians in their current political parties, only an uninitiated would ignore the outburst of the politician and the SDP that it would soon record more wins.
It wasn’t only el’Rufai that has made an entry into the SDP, former chief security officer to the late Gen. Sani Abacha, retired Major Hamza Al-Mustapha, who has also made his fray into national politics, has also joined the party.
Al-Mustapha was the presidential candidate of Action Alliance, AA, in the February 25, 2023 election.
There are also indications that the PDP Presidential candidate in last general elections, Atiku Abubakar, may also join the influx of politicians moving to the SDP.
El’Rufai has since been seen meeting with major opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar.
Earlier in the in the month the duo in company of ex-Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, among others, held a closed door meeting with former President Muhammadu Buhari at his Kaduna residence.
Other politicians during the visit included former Minister of Communications, Isa Pantami; former governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa; former governor of Benue State, Senator Gabriel Suswam; and former Governor of Adamawa State, Jibrilla Bindow, among others.
Atiku, who took to his verified X handle after the meeting described it as a “wonderful time”with the former President.
He wrote, “As the Waziri Adamawa, I was obligated to be in Adamawa during the Sallah celebrations. I held forth for the Lamido Fombina (Adamawa) in some of the activities of the Sallah celebrations.
“Today, I had the opportunity to pay a post-Sallah visit to His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2015-2023.
“It was a wonderful time with him. As usual, he cracked me up (to the extent that my ribs were hurting) with his peculiar humour.”
The former Vice President, however, did not disclose the details of the meeting’s agenda and its outcome.
Atiku’s visit to Buhari was greeted with outbursts with some PDP leaders including a former party Deputy National chairman, Chief Olabode George, who saw the former Vice president, Atiku, as scheming again for presidency.
But while the dust was yet to settle, Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, the immediate past governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, and all members of the PDP in the state on Wednesday defected to the APC.
The announcement was made on Wednesday in Asaba, the Delta State capital, by Senator James Manager, shortly after a meeting that lasted over six hours at Government House, Asaba.
Manager stated, “All PDP members in the state, including the governor, former Governor Okowa, the Speaker, the state party chairman, all the local government chairmen and others, have agreed to move to the APC. We cannot continue to be in a sinking boat,” he said.
The state Commissioner for Information, Mr Aniagwu Charles, officially confirmed the governor’s defection and the collective decision of Delta PDP leaders and stakeholders to join the APC.
‘There is a need for us to adjust our drinking patterns. And in adjusting that drinking pattern, we needed to make a decision that would further help to cement the development in our state, to build the court of law that has existed in our state, to further advance the cause of security and the welfare of our people, and, to a large extent, ensure that development in Delta is not truncated,” Aniagwu stated.
He continued, “In taking that decision, we concluded that leaving the PDP was very necessary for us to be able to collaborate and build a state that every Deltan will be proud of. We believe that what is happening, and the state of the PDP, is akin to that palm wine whose taste has changed — and there was a need for us to change the drinking party.”
Charles added that the decision was unanimously made by party leaders and stakeholders, hinting at a formal public declaration soon.
“By the grace of God, on Monday next week, we will be able to make a very big statement confirming that we are moving into the APC,” he said.
Reacting to the defection of Oborevwori, Okowa and others, a chieftain of the PDP, Dele Momodu, accused Tinubu of using strong arm tactics in pressuring the opposition to defect to the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Making this statement on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, April 23, Momodu claimed that fear was driving politicians to the APC and not out of genuine loyalty.
According to him, “I’m not surprised; Okowa’s defection isn’t shocking given the recent harassment he faced.”
He added that, “I would be surprised if President Bola Tinubu genuinely believes people are joining the APC out of love or administration, this is survival now; prison as martyr days are over.
“We once admired the likes of Nelson Mandela, MKO Abiola, and Chief Obafemi Awolowo for enduring detention in the name of principle. These days, nobody wants to go to detention.
“Everybody wants to stay at home and talk about the money they’ve made from politics; name one politician who has not been harassed by either the EFCC or the ICPC at some point.”
“Be assured that we will not go in the wrong direction. We will take the best direction, the best path for our people.”
There are speculations that more governors on the opposition are also heading for the ruling party.
This was disclosed by the National Chairman of the ruling APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, on Thursday in Abuja when he formally received some leaders of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, in Kano State, led by Senator Kawu Ismailia, who represents Kano South.
He stated: “The governor of Delta State is now in APC, including his cabinet, including all the members of the state assembly and House of Representatives, and the timber and calibre of PDP, now in APC, even including the former vice presidential candidate coming into our party.
“So you can see that we are expanding. I don’t want to reveal our secret, but what I’m telling you is that APC 2027 is a done deal.
“More governors are coming into APC. I assure you, and in places where we have elections, APC, insha Allah, will win those elections.”
Speaking in the same vein, Nasarawa State governor, Abdullahi Sule during an appearance on Channel TV’s Politics Today during the week, he stated that Oborevwori’s move is just the beginning, revealing that several more governors are expected to follow suit.
“I don’t know the exact number, but we are anticipating more governors to join the APC,”he said.
“There are many people, including governors, who have shown interest in joining the APC,” he added.
According to Sule, the influx of prominent politicians into the ruling party reflects the appeal of President Bola Tinubu’s reforms.
“When we meet with the president, you can see the excitement among them,” he noted. “These governors feel welcomed by the president – they genuinely like him.”
Recall that the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, recently declared his support for President Bola Tibunu’s second-term bid, citing Tinubu’s commitment to national development through critical infrastructure projects like the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.
Eno, who is a governor of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, made the declaration on last week Tuesday while representing President Tinubu during the official flag-off of the 65-kilometre, three-lane dual carriageway section of the highway project in Nsit-Antai Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
His declaration comes on the same day the PDP Governors’ Forum said the party would not collapse into any coalition aimed at ousting Tinubu from power in 2027.
In a statement issued shortly after the event, Eno described Tinubu as a visionary and detribalised leader whose agenda is bringing tangible development to all parts of Nigeria, irrespective of party lines or political affiliations.
“I want to express the sentiments of the people of Akwa Ibom State for allowing the project to pass through our state. It could have gone elsewhere, so we do not take this for granted,” Eno said.
He said the inclusion of Akwa Ibom in the multi-billion naira highway project was a testament to the President’s commitment to equitable development.
“Mr. President has approved and embarked on this audacious project that is set to unlock our economic potential, especially for coastal communities. This initiative aligns with his Renewed Hope Agenda and deserves to be completed under his leadership,” the governor added.
Declaring his full support for President Tinubu’s re-election, Eno said, “Let me end by assuring our people-loving President that we will stand by him. He deserves to complete his eight years in office. He cannot start this work and abandon it. Someone else may not finish it with the same passion.”
It will also be recalled that the suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, in his Easter message called on the people of the state to support Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Initiative.
This, coupled with his speculated meeting with the president last week in Europe, analysis say the governor may also be among those speculated to be on their way to the ruling party.
Seven Sitting Governors Who Defected From PDP To APC
Here are seven sitting Governors who defected from PDP to APC:
1. Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta State)
Sheriff Oborevwori shocked many by dumping the PDP for the APC on Wednesday. His defection marks a significant political shift in Delta, a core PDP state since 1999.
2. Dave Umahi (Ebonyi State)
Umahi defected to APC in November 2020 during his second term as Governor. He cited marginalisation of the Southeast by the PDP and praised APC’s infrastructure focus under President Buhari.
3. Ben Ayade (Cross River State)
Governor Ayade left PDP for APC in May 2021. He said his decision was driven by a desire to align with the federal government to attract more development projects to Cross River State.
4. Bello Matawalle (Zamfara State)
Matawalle defected to APC in June 2021. His move followed political turbulence in Zamfara and was seen as a strategic alliance to maintain stability and control.
5. Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto State)
Tambuwal switched from PDP to APC ahead of the 2015 elections, returned to PDP in 2018 and was later linked with a fresh move back to APC while still in office, reflecting his dynamic political positioning.
6. Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto State)
Wamakko joined the APC in 2014 during his tenure as Governor. He was among the early defectors whose moves helped shape the APC’s victory in the 2015 general elections.
7. Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara State)
Ahmed, Governor from 2011 to 2019, defected to APC in 2014 with Bukola Saraki during the famous “political tsunami” in Kwara. Though he returned to PDP later, the defection during his tenure was pivotal.
