1 week Ago By Rapheal
By Chinelo ObogoThe All Progressives Congress (APC) is expecting more defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum in the coming weeks, Daily Sun has learnt.Following last week’s defection of the Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, former Delta Governor and PDP’s 2023 vice presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa and all PDP members in Delta State to the APC, Daily Sun learnt that the imminent movement of more governors from the opposition to the ruling party in coming weeks is almost a done deal. googletag.
cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1718806029429-0'); }); A senior APC insider informed that the ruling party expects at least 20 federal lawmakers and PDP governors to cross over soon.
The source corroborated recent claims by the PDP spokesperson, Ikenga Ugochinyere, who alleged that 40 opposition lawmakers were planning to defect, though Ugochinyere’s warning appears to have inadvertently put more focus on the internal PDP crisis rather than APC defections. Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State; his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa after being presented with APC flag by National Chairman, Alhaji Umar Ganduje during formal defection of the governor and others to APC. They are flanked by Minister ofAviation, Festus Keyamo (left) and others in Asaba, yesterday.
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push({})}); “Everyone heard when the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umoh Eno, said he would be supporting President Tinubu’s re-election. Not long after that, we saw the Delta Governor defect to the APC along with his predecessor. In a matter of weeks, we will be receiving at least one more PDP governor and several opposition lawmakers.
It should not be surprising to anyone that this is happening because the PDP is literally dead,” the source said.This forthcoming defection is linked to a confidential agreement between President Bola Tinubu and several PDP governors, many of whom have pledged support for his 2027 re-election bid. Daily Sun had last week exclusively reported details of this pact which has exacerbated the crisis within the PDP and fuelled more distrust among its ranks.
After the defection of Oborevwori and Okowa, the party and other PDP chieftains voiced sharp criticisms, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar condemning the move. He said: “Let me be unequivocal: freedom of association and expression are not optional in a democracy, they are fundamental rights. Alongside these stand the pillars of a just and functional democratic society: the people, the rule of law, credible elections and accountability.
Undermine any of these, and democracy itself begins to crumble.”Similarly, former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Olabode George, who also reacted to the development, said the defection of the Delta Governor left him ‘shell shocked’ that Oborevwori and Okowa, who were both elected on the platform of the PDP could defect from an ‘organised party’ to an ‘unorganised’ party.The PDP’s acting national chairman, Umar Damagum, described the defection as unfortunate but expressed optimism that the defection would not have any adverse effect on the fortunes of the opposition party in the 2027 general elections.
He said this is because the 2027 poll is a direct contest between President Tinubu and the Nigerian people. He stressed that the outcome of the next general elections would not be determined by the number of governors a political party has.As tensions within the PDP escalate, political analysts say that these defections would reshape Nigeria’s political landscape, further consolidating the APC’s dominance ahead of the next election cycle.
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