Visiting Professor Jonah Onuoha of Taraba State University has attributed the surging wave of political defections to the All Progressives Congress (APC) to politicians’ fear of electoral loss in 2027 and desperation to escape anti-corruption scrutiny.
Speaking in Jalingo, Onuoha, who doubles as Director of the Centre for American Studies at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), branded the defections a “survival strategy” devoid of ideology.
“These politicians are looking for a platform where they can win elections in 2027 and also where agencies like the EFCC will not come after them during or after their tenures,” he said.
“Once they join the ruling party, their interests are protected and their sins are forgiven.”
He warned that unchecked defections, exemplified by Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah leading the entire PDP structure to the APC, risk weakening the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and pushing Nigeria toward a one-party state by 2027 – a scenario he called “unhealthy and dangerous for democracy.”
Onuoha acknowledged internal PDP crises but insisted loyal members could resolve them before 2027 if committed to the party’s ideology.
Echoing the concern, UNN Senior Lecturer Dr. Chinedu Ejezie rejected claims that defecting to the APC is necessary to “connect states to the centre.”
He noted that since President Bola Tinubu took office in May 2023, all 36 states have received increased federal allocations without discrimination, even after fuel subsidy removal.
“There is no evidence that any governor has been denied allocation because he belongs to the opposition,” Ejezie said.
He cited high-performing opposition governors – Alex Otti (Labour Party, Abia), Charles Soludo (APGA, Anambra), and Seyi Makinde (PDP, Oyo) – as proof that good governance depends on resource management, not party affiliation.
“Some governors in the ruling party are not doing well in their states, showing that being connected to the centre is not a guarantee for good governance,” he added.
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