Ahead of the next general elections in 2027, many politicians, particularly those elected on the platform of the opposition parties, are defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in droves. While the APC is celebrating this development because it has further strengthened it for future elections, observers have called for reforms against indiscriminate defections of elected officials. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI reports
Valentine Ozigbo, one of Peter Obi’s staunch allies in the Labour Party (LP), recently announced his defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC). A former LP governorship aspirant in Anambra State, Ozigbo formally joined the APC on Thursday, February 20, 2025, at his ward in Amesi community, Aguata Local Government Area, 24 hours after resigning from the LP.
Ozigbo said his decision to join the APC is driven by his deep-rooted belief in progressive governance and his desire to work alongside forward-thinking leaders to champion policies that will uplift the people of Anambra and Nigeria. The former LP chieftain is eyeing the APC ticket for this year’s off-cycle governorship election in the Southeast state.
Ozigbo is not alone; it is a season of political migration, with politicians moving from opposition parties, particularly the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the LP, and the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), to the APC.
Within the last five weeks, a PDP lawmaker, Garba Koko, a House of Representatives member from Kebbi State, also announced his defection to the APC via a letter read on the floors of the House by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas. The legislator said in the letter that he resolved to dump the PDP because of the “prolonged and protracted” crisis in the fold.
Koko’s defection comes about 24 hours after Amos Magaji, a lawmaker from Kaduna State who was also elected on the PDP platform, announced his defection to the APC. Magaji, who represents Zangon Kataf/Jaba Federal Constituency of Kaduna State, equally cited unresolved crises within the PDP from the national level down to the wards, stressing that no political party can thrive in an atmosphere of disunity.
Meanwhile, six federal lawmakers had on Thursday, December 5, 2024, also dumped their various parties for the ruling party at the centre on the floor of the House of Representatives. The defectors include former Delta State Governor James Ibori’s daughter, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, who was elected on the platform of the PDP. The others were elected on the LP platform. They are Esosa Iyawe (Edo), Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Matthew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), and Daulyop Fom (Plateau). All the lawmakers cited division within their parties as the main reason for their defections.
Yet, on December 10, 2024, Speaker Abbas announced the defection of Dalyop Chollom, another LP member in the House of Reps. Chollom, who represents Barkin Ladi/Riyom Federal Constituency, also defected to the APC. The lawmaker said he made the decision after reflecting on the crisis rocking the party.
Two days later, on December 12, Ajang Iliya, the House of Representatives member representing the Jos South/Jos East Federal Constituency in Plateau State, also defected from the LP to the APC.
These defections further strengthen the APC’s hold in the National Assembly as it gradually begins rebuilding ahead of the next general election in 2027.
The APC is also consolidating in some states where its support base during the last election cycle was weak. Kaduna is one of such states. Three weeks ago, Governor Uba Sani received over 200,000 defectors, including serving and former lawmakers from the main opposition party. The defectors indicated that they joined the ruling party to contribute to its success in 2027. The Christian community in the state, otherwise known as Southern Kaduna, had a running battle with former Governor Nasir El-Rufai almost throughout his eight-year tenure.
However, immediately after he took over power, Governor Sani reached out to all the political actors, especially those who had left the APC because of the former governor. This is the main reason Kaduna is witnessing a mass defection of bigwigs from the opposition parties to the ruling APC. The defectors include Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, Senator Shehu Sani, former Governor Ramalan Yero, Senator Danjuma La’ah and 46 other political heavyweights and thousands of their supporters.
Hunkuyi described the governor as a peacemaker and a unifying factor. He said, “Governor Uba Sani has brought positive changes to governance within less than two years. He has initiated a lot of rural transformation projects. These are the things we have seen in Governor Uba Sani. He is a leader that listens and carries everyone along irrespective of ethno-religious background and political affiliation.
“Our coming into the APC will, in the coming months, signal an influx of other opposition members. I am sure the APC will be just to all of us and treat us like every other APC member. This will show people still contemplating that this is the right place to be. The APC should know we are not here to fight or cause a crisis in the ruling party; we only want justice and fairness. Chieftains of our former parties have not left us; up till a few days back, they were still reaching out to see whether they could hold us back in the PDP and other parties, but we told them we have decided to join the APC.”
Governor Sani promised he will be fair to all, whether they voted for the APC or not “because that is the oath of office that I swore to uphold as a leader”.
Similarly, hundreds of members of the NNPP opted for the APC on Tuesday, February 25, in Kano, saying they are disenchanted with the leadership style of the Kwankwasiyya movement.
The defection saw top NNPP grassroots mobilizers abandoning their party for the APC. Alhaji Abdullahi Sani Kwami, popularly known as Dollar, led a large contingent of party executives, women leaders, and other stakeholders to the APC.
The defections, led by Kwami, a former vice chairman of the Gwarzo Local Government Area, have been described as a major political shake-up ahead of the next general election in the populous Northwest state. According to close watchers of Kano politics, the development may affect the party’s political fortunes in the 2027 election. Gwarzo is the hometown of Deputy Governor Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, a staunch ally of the Kwankwasiyya leader, Alhaji Rabiu Kwankwaso.
A group of former student leaders in Kano who traditionally support the NNPP also dumped their red caps- the symbolic headgear of the Kwankwasiyya movement- for the APC. The former student leaders, led by Comrade Mohammed Nafiu Danlami, cited the Kwankwasiyya leader’s “anti-masses policies” and “dictatorial leadership style” as key reasons for their defection.
In addition, Abba Kafi Governor, a well-known youth mobiliser in Getso, Gwarzo Local Government, led his supporters to join the APC. He attributed their move to the people-centric interventions and projects championed by the APC leadership. Welcoming the defectors, Deputy Senate President Senator Barau Jibrin, a prominent APC leader in the state, lauded their decision, saying they made the right move. He said, “Congratulations on leaving a mushroom political party for a national political party known globally, where your freedom is guaranteed, and you are as free as the air.”
Jibrin described the NNPP as a party in decline, particularly in Kano Central, where he claimed it was only known in a few wards and non-existent in Kano North. He added that even in Kano South key, NNPP members were already moving to the APC.
He promised to mentor and support the youth leaders, emphasising the importance of guiding young and educated citizens toward meaningful political participation. He said: “They don’t belong there. They belong here, where they have free space to be what they want to be in life. They have been freed and liberated from the bondage of the mushroom political party.”
The defections are a significant blow to the NNPP in Kano, the only state where it had enjoyed strong grassroots support. However, Sunusi Surajo Kwankwaso, the political adviser to Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, played down the significance of the recent defection. He said the NNPP is also receiving thousands of APC members into its fold. He added that the party recently welcomed thousands of APC members from the Tudun Wada and Gwarzo Local Government Areas.
He said people are joining the APC in the Kano North Senatorial District because the senator representing the zone is deceiving them with money. He said: “We do not offer money to those who defect to our party. Anyone joining the NNPP is doing so because of the developmental and progressive initiatives of Abba Kabir Yusuf or the ideology of Kwankwasiyya. On the other hand, most of the people joining the APC now are simply seeking political appointments. They rushed into our party in large numbers before we won the elections in Kano. So, this is normal in politics.”
After dislodging the PDP from Cross River State, the APC is trying to make inroads into the South-South geo-political zone. In Delta State, for instance, the latest key PDP member to dump the party for the APC is Senator Ned Nwoko. Senator Nwoko officially announced his defection from the PDP to the APC on the floor of the Senate, otherwise known as the Red Chamber, on Wednesday, February 5, saying his former party is in disarray.
Some aggrieved politicians are also leaving the APC for the opposition parties. For instance, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has just dumped the ruling party for the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Similarly, former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and his supporters have also left the party, but he has not indicated their new party.
With the current trend of defections, the country is gradually turning into a one-party state. This trend reflects the unpredictable nature of Nigeria’s political landscape. It raises concerns about the stability and integrity of Nigeria’s party politics. The PDP Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, said the defections threaten the country’s democracy. He said many politicians lack principles because they switch parties primarily for economic survival rather than for the benefit of the people.
Osadolor said: “This government is very adept, very skillful in regime security. In doing all this, they have weaponised not only hunger but also destabilised institutions that should have been able to enforce checks and balances. Most of those you see jumping from one party to the other lack principles. This is a threat to democracy. To curb this reckless defection, I think there is an urgent need to review some of our laws to nip this in the bud.”
The Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Rafsanjani, agrees that the defections threaten the country’s democracy. He decried the fact that Nigerian politics is driven by selfish interests, adding that though politicians had the right to defect to any political party, they must do so within certain limits. He said there is a need for political party reforms to ensure that parties are not used merely as tools for power-grabbing and personal agendas but as platforms to foster internal democracy and active participation.
He added, “There are legitimate reasons for leaving a party. If one no longer subscribes to the party’s principles, they cannot be compelled to remain. However, we must reform political parties so they will cease to be platforms for personal gains and power plays.”
Despite the law prohibiting indiscriminate defection from one party to another, politicians have routinely flouted it without any repercussions. This has eroded public trust in the political process. The law insists that votes cast during elections are for political parties and not for the candidates representing the parties. The corollary from the above is that when elected officials leave the political platforms they were elected on, they ought to vacate their seats. However, this has not been the case because such defections mostly favour the ruling party.
