Over the final two years, Nigeria’s political scene has been one thing else but current. Below President Bola Tinubu’s phrase, governors, lawmakers, and native officials maintain flocked to the ruling APC in numbers unseen with old presidents.
Even Eno Umo’s fresh defection from the PDP to the APC made headlines, showing that each and every excessive-profile and rising politicians are also appealing. Seeing total advise leaderships from Delta to Zamfara abandon their extinct occasions feels surprising, even surreal.
Tinubu’s hump began as Lagos governor (1999–2007), where his heroic fiscal reforms earned him the nickname “kingmaker.” After serving to merge several opposition occasions into the APC in 2013, he backed Buhari’s 2015 get hang of. In 2023, voters handed him the presidency, partly as a result of many believed his vision would possibly presumably well spark financial revival.
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Strategic Patronage Driving APC Defections
Here’s where things bag sophisticated. Tinubu doesn’t precise promise; he delivers, and he subtly reminds you what happens in the event you refuse. Take Delta Narrate: In April 2025, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori switched from PDP to APC, praising Tinubu’s nationwide vision.
Nearly straight away, his terminate allies maintain been allegedly linked to federal contracts. Similarly, when Zamfara’s governor, Bello Matawalle, took office in 2021, security deployments and pipeline-vandalism funds for his advise elevated. Anecdotes love these float into in Abuja’s corridors: take care of out of Tinubu’s club and phrase your initiatives and security resources dry up.
Defection isn’t precise about ideology; it’s survival. Narrate budgets often depend upon federal transfers for 60–70% of their funding. Whenever you occur to resist Tinubu, you risk delayed funds or even security strengthen.
Rivers Narrate, as an instance, grumbled about stalled security votes in 2024 after rejecting Tinubu’s worth range. So for many, joining the APC feels much less voluntary and further pragmatic.
The “Sport” Mindset and Its Fallout
Tinubu’s camp often declares these moves “the game.” He holds sizable defection ceremonies total with speeches and handshakes to signal that loyalty is rewarded. Yet, as soon as labelled a “turncoat,” you risk losing grassroots have faith, pushing you deeper into patronage to take care of afloat.
Between generous offers and quiet pressures, Tinubu has cemented APC’s grip on energy. Except opposition voices mend fences and rebuild team spirit, defections will doubtless proceed to erode true debate and skedaddle away Nigeria’s political future hanging in a precarious balance. Will true protection debate enjoy terminate centre stage another time?
