In the shifting sands of Nigerian politics, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is proving that substance and style, when blended astutely, can shape an enduring political movement. His week, perhaps more than any other in recent memory, exposed the depth of his political magnetism and the breadth of his economic reform impact. It was a week where the strength of policy met the power of personality — and the result was a cascade of high-profile defections, rare bipartisan goodwill, and a compelling assertion of national unity.
The crowning jewel of the week was the news of Nigeria’s repayment of the $3.4 billion COVID-19 loan borrowed from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the previous administration. Not only was this symbolic of economic recovery and credibility, it was a vindication of Tinubu’s reform agenda, a powerful retort to critics who had long dismissed his policies as painful without payoff. With fiscal discipline at the centre of his strategy, the Tinubu administration has steadily implemented structural adjustments, from subsidy removals to foreign exchange unification, and the fruits are finally ripening.
Even critics had to admit as much. Dr. Reuben Abati, a well-known media voice and Arise TV anchor, took a rare moment during The Morning Show on Friday to acknowledge the real-world impacts of Tinubu’s economic reengineering. He didn’t just talk about the federal level, he dug deep into states’ improved financial profiles, citing debt repayment progress across the board. For the first time in years, Nigerian states are experiencing fiscal breathing space, largely because the federal structure under Tinubu is deliberately empowering sub-national governments.
It is this empowerment that is now causing political tremors nationwide. The opposition is haemorrhaging prominent figures to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), and it’s not because of coercion or manipulation, as Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa made clear during his visit to the State House. It’s because President Tinubu’s brand of leadership, firm yet inclusive, is drawing people in. The President is not asking politicians to cross party lines; they’re crossing on their own volition, because they see a new political centre of gravity forming around him.
In just one week, Nigeria witnessed an extraordinary wave of defections. Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, his deputy, his predecessor Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, and former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, all influential PDP stalwarts, joined the APC. The entire Delta State House of Assembly followed suit. So did the entire Edo State Assembly, with its 18 members defecting en masse to the ruling party. Then came Kebbi, where three sitting PDP senators — Adamu Aliero, Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi, and Garba Maidoki — met the President and announced their move to the APC.
Each of these defections is significant on its own. Together, they represent something more profound, a quiet revolution in Nigerian politics. Opposition figures are not only leaving their parties; they are also aligning with Tinubu’s vision of national renewal. As Ganduje noted after the Kebbi senators’ defection, this isn’t just about numbers. It’s about “quality and capacity.”
Indeed, Tinubu has shown a rare political acumen: the ability to unify divergent interests without erasing identities. He’s not trying to flatten Nigeria’s political diversity; he’s building a broad coalition within it. Take his Thursday visit to Anambra State, a region historically distant from the APC’s base. In Awka, Tinubu was welcomed not just as a President, but as a brother, an ally, and a partner in progress. From Governor Charles Soludo to traditional rulers and civil society leaders, the President received accolades not merely for showing up, but for showing results.
Soludo, in a powerful gesture, emphasized Anambra’s ideological alignment with Tinubu’s progressive vision. He praised the President’s economic policies, the federal government’s attention to abandoned infrastructure projects, and the symbolic importance of the Southeast’s inclusion in the National Rail Master Plan. In return, Tinubu assured the people of Anambra that his administration would tackle erosion, complete roads, reactivate gas utilization plans, and ensure the region is no longer left out of Nigeria’s development map.
The President’s remarks were as strategic as they were sincere: “We are one family… our diversity must lead to prosperity.” That was not mere rhetoric. It was the tone of a man who sees leadership not through the lens of party supremacy, but national stewardship. And the people responded. From chieftaincy titles to public declarations of support, it was clear that Tinubu’s visit had shifted perceptions, and perhaps, the political calculus, in the Southeast.
Read Also: International Firefighters’ Day: FPAN calls for government, public partnership
There is also a message here for those outside Tinubu’s growing coalition, particularly the faction of the opposition led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai. Their efforts to galvanize a fragmented coalition have been loud, but largely unconvincing. While they project strength through sporadic media salvos and echo-chamber critiques, Tinubu is projecting unity through action, results, and direct engagement with people and places once considered politically unreachable.
Tinubu’s strategy is not without risk. Consolidating power can invite charges of political monopolization. But as Governor Sule wisely noted, this is not a slide into one-party rule; it’s a competitive democracy in motion. Nigerians are gravitating toward results, not slogans. And right now, Tinubu is producing results that resonate, economically, politically, and socially.
Consider the lithium breakthroughs in Nasarawa State. Governor Sule proudly informed the President that a 3-million metric ton facility has already been commissioned, with another, three times the size, due in weeks. These are the dividends of peace, policy, and partnership. States like Nasarawa are emerging as hubs of clean energy, mining, and agriculture, not in spite of the federal government, but because of its new posture.
This is what makes Tinubu’s presidency unique. He governs with the confidence of a tactician and the instinct of a bridge-builder. His open-door approach to governance, his refusal to alienate critics, and his consistent focus on economic reform are changing not just how Nigeria is run, but how Nigerians perceive politics itself.
So, as the defections mount and the narrative shifts, it is clear: Bola Ahmed Tinubu is not just consolidating political power. He is reshaping the very architecture of Nigerian democracy. Through economic reform, national outreach, and inclusive leadership, he is drawing Nigerians, even his former adversaries, into a common vision of progress.
This last week, the opposition blinked. The people moved. And the President smiled, not in triumph, but in resolve. That smile is now Nigeria’s most potent political force.
Governance, Gratitude, and Growth