The political landscape ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 elections is becoming increasingly charged, as the wave of defections from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) continues to spark controversy.
According to The Punch, both the APC and the African Democratic Congress (ADC) have exchanged accusations, each offering sharply contrasting explanations for the defections.
The APC maintains that governors and lawmakers who have defected to its camp did so willingly, motivated by confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s leadership and reform agenda. The party has repeatedly claimed that the president’s performance is drawing political figures who want to be part of the “renewed hope” project.
However, the ADC has pushed back against that narrative, accusing the APC of employing underhanded tactics to weaken the opposition. According to the ADC, the defections are not entirely voluntary but are part of a broader, calculated strategy by the ruling party to pressure and blackmail political leaders into defecting and endorsing Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027.
Reacting to the development, the interim National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, maintained that electoral success does not hinge on the number of governors or lawmakers defecting to a party.
The former minister of youth and sports insisted that the APC is undermining opposition leaders, alleging that some governors are being punished or intimidated.
“We have it on good authority what they are doing to many governors, withholding their allocations and punishing them one way or the other, and intimidating them. Let me tell you that even within the ruling party, All Progressives Congress, some ministers are calling to encourage us not to fail, that we represent the only hope.”
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