Hurricane Tinubu: Mass defections ignite one-party state fears

As the 2027 general elections approach, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is strengthening his political dominance in the South, following a wave of defections by governors and influential politicians from the Peoples Democratic Party and other opposition parties to the All Progressives Congress.

The development has, however, ignited fears of a one-party state, with opposition leaders condemning the mass movement to the ruling party.

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and the 2023 Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, dismissed the defections as acts of desperation by politicians seeking personal survival.

They declared that the “battle line is drawn,” vowing that Nigerians will “take their pound of flesh” at the polls by voting out President Tinubu APC for allegedly deepening the country’s hardship and decline.

The PUNCH gathered from top APC officials, who are privy to the ongoing political manoeuvring, that more governors from the South would soon declare for the ruling party.

On Tuesday, Governor Peter Mba of Enugu State defected from the PDP to the APC alongside the members of the State Executive Council.

Barely 24 hours later, another PDP governor, Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, resigned his party membership.

The Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Daniel Alabrah, disclosed that Diri quit the party along with the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Abraham Ingobere, and 21 other lawmakers.

The governor later confirmed his resignation during a State Executive Council meeting.

Diri’s departure from the PDP puts to rest months of speculation about his rumoured move to the APC, though Alabrah did not reveal his next political destination.

Diri’s resignation comes just days after the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, expressed concern over the growing number of governors and senior party figures crossing to the APC.

Party insiders hinted that Governors Siminalayi Fubara and Alex Otti of Rivers and Abia States may soon switch to the APC.

Also, Governors Caleb Mutfwang  (Plateau) and Agbu Kefas of Taraba are reportedly warming up to join the Tinubu-led political camp ahead of 2027.

A senior party official disclosed that Otti, Fubara and Diri are set to defect to the APC, noting that several northern governors were equally preparing to join the ruling party.

He stated, “The APC is attracting them all. I am aware that discussions are ongoing with other PDP governors from the South. Soon, the governors of Abia, Rivers, and even Diri, who just resigned from the PDP, will join the APC.

“This development is not limited to the South, as some governors from the North, particularly the North Central and North East, are already finalising talks to join the ruling party.”

Another party insider explained that Kefas and  Muftwang are set to defect to the APC soon.

He stated, “They just want to reduce the influence of the PDP. We are aware they are discussing with the Taraba and Plateau State governors, so they will join others in the APC.”

In recent months, the APC has continued to draw prominent members from the opposition parties, especially the PDP.

Notable defectors include Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, and the PDP’s 2023 vice-presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa.

At present, out of the 17 states in Southern Nigeria, President Tinubu’s APC governs Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, Ondo, Edo, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Delta, Imo, Ebonyi, and Enugu.

The Labour Party controls Abia, while the All Progressives Grand Alliance is in charge of Anambra.

The PDP holds sway only in Oyo, Rivers, and Osun states, while Bayelsa is currently not under any party.

In the North, out of 19 states, the APC firmly controls 13 – Kwara, Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi, Benue, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, Kebbi, Gombe, Borno, Yobe, and Jigawa.

The PDP governs Zamfara, Plateau, Taraba, Adamawa, and Bauchi, while the New Nigeria People’s Party remains in charge of Kano State.

Speaking in Abuja on Saturday after inaugurating the party’s convention communication sub-committee, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed admitted that the defections had unsettled the party, though he said efforts were ongoing to keep it united ahead of the November 15–16 national convention in Ibadan.

He said, “If you ask me whether I am concerned about our governors leaving for APC, I am more than concerned. But leadership is a burden. As a leader of a group of equal status, I cannot determine the decisions or inactions of my colleagues, but certainly, a lot of work is being done behind the scenes.”

Reacting to the unfolding situation, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, a PDP member, said the mass defection of party leaders and state governors of the main opposition PDP to the ruling APC has justified his support for Tinubu, as those who once criticised him are now members of the APC.

The minister made the statement on Wednesday at the flag-off of the Construction of the Main Carriageways on the Outer Southern Expressway in Abuja.

Wike said some of the governors had previously criticised him for destabilising the PDP and working for the APC, adding that the governors should rather commend him for “doing a good job” of paving the way for them to join the ruling party.

“I have been watching on daily television and social media, people who said I want to destabilise the party, I am working for the APC. All of them are now in the APC. So, which means if it is true, they should commend me for working where they are heading. So, I should be commended for doing a good job for them,” he said.

The minister noted that the governors no longer had an excuse, as the “decisive leadership” of President Tinubu had ensured that every state had enough resources to pay salaries and embark on credible projects and activities.

“Let every state be sincere to their people, and to Nigerians. I was a governor for eight years. I was a governor running around banks to look for money to do projects. Sometimes, every month, the money that comes will not be enough to pay salaries and all other allowances, not to mention doing projects.

“Today, by the leadership of somebody, by the decisive leadership of somebody who has made it possible for all the states, and the Federal Capital Territory, not to be running around banks again. Rather, banks are now looking for states to say, ‘Look, don’t throw us away, we are here.’’

“Somebody has made that possible; every state now has money. Not only to pay salaries, not only to carry out government activities, but also to embark on projects. It was not like that before,” Wike said.

He described the decision to defect and support the Tinubu-led administration as “worthwhile”, adding that no governor would leave debts for their successors any longer, as it used to happen before.

“So, if, for that reason, so many people are going to support Mr President, I think it is worthwhile. Now, no governor will talk about leaving debts for his successor, unlike what used to happen before. That is the leadership of somebody.

“And that’s what this country needs now: Visionary leadership, purposeful leadership that will be able to make decisions. Decisions that people were running away from taking when they had the opportunity,” he said.

Dickson slams Diri

In a swift response, former Bayelsa State Governor, the senator representing Bayelsa West, Seriake Dickson, slammed his successor, Diri, and other PDP governors who recently defected to the APC, accusing them of fleeing from the “problems they created” within the opposition party.

 Reacting to Diri’s defection shortly after Wednesday’s Senate plenary, Dickson said he had been consulted several times by the governor on his intention to dump the PDP, but was never convinced there was any compelling reason for such a move, especially by a second-term governor.

The former Bayelsa governor said Nigeria’s democracy could only thrive under a plural political system and warned that the growing trend of defections was gradually turning the country into a one-party state.

“I am where I have been. I am where I am. I don’t believe that Nigeria should be a one-party state. And as a soldier of democracy, I’m used to the ups and downs of democratic practices and political life, especially. I’m still as constant as the northern star, steadfast in the Peoples Democratic Party,” he said.

The senator expressed disappointment that some governors and party leaders who contributed to the PDP’s internal crisis were now abandoning the platform instead of providing leadership to resolve its problems.

“I hope that the governors and the leadership working committee who created this mess in our party, all of them, and who, instead of showing leadership, have created this mess and ensured that it have persisted for this long.

“And they are the ones now bailing out after creating the problem that they could not solve or refuse to solve. It’s very sad, very, very sad,” Dickson lamented.

He said the development was “making Nigeria look small” and “belittling the country’s democracy,” adding that true democracy cannot exist without a viable opposition.

“A plural Nigeria can only thrive in a plural democratic environment. I didn’t see any compelling reason for a second-term governor to defect. I am still standing in the PDP that gave my people — the Ijaw Nation and the Niger Delta — the opportunity to run for election and even become president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This other party cannot do that,” he added.

Responding through his media aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku acknowledged that the constitution guarantees freedom of movement and association, but stated that with the recent defections, the battle line for the 2027 election had been drawn.

In an interview with The PUNCH, he stated, “The Constitution provides for freedom of association. As a democrat, Atiku Abubakar will not dictate to others with whom they associate. Atiku Abubakar may not know the underpinning factors behind why people are making different decisions.

“However, we know for a fact that the Tinubu-led APC has used institutions of the state, including anti-corruption agencies, to intimidate and coerce leaders of the opposition into their fold.

“What is playing out clearly is that a battle line has been drawn. It is Nigerians, long suffering, impoverished, poor citizens who can barely afford to make ends meet, feed their families, send their children to school, or access basic primary healthcare, who will ultimately determine the outcome of 2027.

“The battle line has been drawn. Nigerians are aware of what is playing out. All of these defectors do not have the people’s interest at heart. What they are doing is to preserve and protect their own interests, not those of the people. The battle line is drawn. And people may mock the ADC and say, ‘You don’t have governors, you don’t have senators.’

“What is important, the good news is that they have the people. And these are the people that the Tinubu administration and all of its tendencies seek to make life worse for by the day.

“They can hardly afford to make ends meet. We have them. We have those people. And those people are going to be the determinants. They will decide the outcome of the next election. So, like I said clearly, the battle line has been drawn between Nigeria, between good and bad.”

Obi dismisses fears

Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, dismissed fears of Nigeria sliding into a one-party state, saying no political party could “capture” any region simply because a governor defected to it.

Obi stated this in Abuja while reacting to Governor Mbah’s defection to the ruling APC.

The former Anambra State Governor said the idea that a state can be “captured” by a political party through the defection of its leader belongs to Nigeria’s military past.

“The people will decide where to go, not governors or senators. No party will capture or win any state just because it has a governor,” Obi said.

“Peter Mbah is a good friend of mine, and I believe that as governor, he must have taken his decision based on his own political views and calculations.”

Obi dismissed the notion that the South-East could be “captured” politically, insisting that leadership in a democracy is about persuasion, not coercion.

“As for the alleged plot to capture the South-East, we are not in a military time when you capture people,” he said. “You are a leader. You tend to do the right things for them to follow you. So I don’t think anybody is capturing anywhere.”

“The government needs to do more if it wants the people to support it,” he added.

Also, speaking on behalf of the former Anambra State Governor, the National Coordinator of the Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko, said those defecting to the APC are driven by selfish interests.

Speaking with The PUNCH, Tanko stated that Nigerians would respond in the 2027 elections.

“None of these people who are actually defecting are doing so based on personal convictions. Either they are being coerced or they are trying to protect their seats, knowing full well that the next election may not be based on credibility or the people’s will.

“It will be heavily manipulated and violently induced—violently induced because of the modus operandi of the present holder of the office.

“What you are seeing is not the will of the people; it is rather the intimidation and manipulation of the current holders of office. To them, that is politics, but to us, it is a distortion of our democratic essence. But they should remember that the government is in the hands of the people. They are watching, and they are listening. They will take their pound of flesh in 2027.”

Also, the African Democratic Congress said the recent defection of some state governors to the ruling party confirmed the opposition coalition’s earlier warning that the APC aims to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.

In a statement issued on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC stated that the governors of Enugu and Bayelsa betrayed their long-suffering citizens and aligned themselves with those working against the interests of Nigerians.

The statement read in part, “The recent defections by the governors of Enugu and Bayelsa States to the ruling All Progressives Congress validate the African Democratic Congress’ long-standing warning that President Bola Tinubu is determined to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, no matter the cost to democracy or national stability.

“While it may seem like the APC has added more governors to its column, in reality, what has happened is these governors have actually abandoned their people to team up with the ruling party that has made life miserable for the majority.

“Nigerians can see the current state of the nation. They live through the APC’s failures every single day. Even those who once campaigned for the APC or had its logo on their social media profiles now avoid association with the party. Why? Because the Tinubu administration has failed on security, failed on economic management, failed on healthcare, failed on social welfare, failed on corruption, and failed to restore Nigeria’s standing in the international community.

 “Every day, Nigerians are paying the price for these failures. Food prices continue to increase, jobs are nonexistent, and insecurity continues to choke every part of the country.

“When the ruling party has misgoverned the country, the only hope for the people in a democracy is for the opposition to rise in defence, propose alternative ideas, and lead the people out of their misery.

“This is what Nigerians expected from these governors in opposition. Instead, they abdicated. And in an act of historic political apostasy, they chose to join the grand conspiracy against the Nigerian people. They abandoned their people, not out of conviction but out of cowardice and other selfish considerations.”

It noted that while the ruling party continues to celebrate the defection of these governors, “The ADC and the opposition coalition are equally delighted that the line has been made even clearer between those who are committed to saving the country and those who merely want to join the gravy train.

“The people can see, and they are waiting. 2027 will be a clear battle between the people of Nigeria and President Tinubu and his gang of governors in the APC.”

Enugu PDP

Meanwhile, PDP members in Enugu State have vowed to rebuild their party ahead of the 2027 elections, following Mbah’s defection to the APC.

The governor’s defection sparked mixed reactions, with some residents criticising Mbah’s decision, insisting that it was driven by personal interest rather than the welfare of the people.

“I thank God that they had defected, so we will now come back and rebuild our party, PDP,” said Dr Okey Ozoani, a former PDP State Youth Leader and Vice Chairman.

Speaking in a phone-in radio programme in Enugu on Wednesday, he stated, “I urge all PDP members, the true PDP members, to remain resilient and calm as good things are coming.”

Ozoani questioned the benefits of Mbah’s defection, asking, “Is defecting going to reduce taxes in Enugu State? Don’t you know that Enugu State is the most costly state in Nigeria to live in and highly insecure?”

  Nick Ozonsi, a former chairman of Udi Local Government Area and a PDP stalwart, called for a  reform of the political system, saying, “What is wrong is what you cannot do in party A, how are you going to do it in party B? Nigerians should take the case of defections seriously.”

Source: Punch