•Nobody can capture South East with defections, says Peter Obi
•Tinubu’s one-party state unfolding — ADC
•I remain firmly with PDP—Dickson
•3 more PDP govs’ll soon resign — Fayose
By Henry Umoru, Luminous Jannamike & John Alechenu
Abuja—The presidential candidate of Labour Party in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, African Democratic Congress, ADC, and the senator representing Bayelsa West, Seriake Dickson, yesterday railed the spate of defection of governors and lawmakers from other parties, particularly Peoples Demcratic Party, PDP, to ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Recall that governor of Enugu State, Peter Mbah, had on Tuesday defected to the APC with members of the state executive council, while his colleague in Bayelsa State, Douye Diri, yesterday resigned from the PDP with the 23 lawmakers in the state, preparatory to their defection to APC.
Several senators and members of the House of Representatives have also, before now, defected to APC from the PDP, Labour Party, and New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP.
Reacting to the development yesterday, Peter Obi said the ongoing defections by state governors in the South East would not guarantee the political capture of the zone.
In a statement released by his media team, Obi explained that Nigeria was currently a democracy, not under military rule, where states could be “captured.”
According to him, the people will ultimately decide where to go, not governors or senators, and no party will capture or win any state just because it has a governor.
Speaking specifically on the defection of Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah, and APC’s alleged move to capture the South-East for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election, Obi said: “Peter Mbah is a good friend of mine. And I believe that as governor, he must have taken his decision based on his own political views and calculations.
“As for the alleged plot to capture the South-East, we are not in a military time when you capture people. You are a leader. You tend to do the right things for them to follow you. So I don’t think anybody is capturing anywhere. The government needs to do more if it wants the people to support it.”
Speaking on the planned protest for the release of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu by political activist, Omoyele Sowore, the former Anambra State governor said: “I’ve always been consistent on Nnamdi Kanu’s situation.
“There was no need for his arrest in the first place. And I’ve always said that for me, I will consult, negotiate and discuss with anybody who is agitating. I said it clearly and I remain there.
“I thank those who are actually trying to do or say what we’ve been saying for a long time. Go and check what I’ve said before 2020, 2022 and even 2024. And now that it has gone to court, the rules should be followed. Not just for Nnamdi Kanu, but for all agitators across the nation. Let’s dialogue with them”
“There’s nothing wrong with anybody agitating or saying let’s dialogue with them. And whatever we do with them, let’s follow the rules. So I thank the organisers and those who are involved.”
On his expectations from the new INEC chair, ahead of the 2027 election, Obi declared: “Very simple. He’s a Nigerian. We want a new Nigeria where elections will be free, fair and credible and our people who have the competence, capacity, compassion, character and commitment to lead the nation are elected.
“It’s for the good of everybody. None of us is going to be here forever, and none of us is going to be in his position forever. So whatever position we find ourselves in, it’s to do the right thing. So I wish him well.
“When he (Amupitan) is confirmed, I will congratulate him and tell him to know that one day, he’s going to leave that post. Let him ensure that he keeps his reputation.”
Obi was said to have spoken to reporters on the sidelines of a campaign alongside the African Democratic Congress, ADC, chairmanship candidate for Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, in the February 2026 FCT Council elections, Dr Moses Paul, on a visit to LEA Nursery/Primary School, Kapwa, a suburb of Abuja, saying education was the bedrock of any society.
He also decried the dilapidated state of the school, noting that the school furniture was in “irreparable conditions.”
Obi wondered why a school with over 200 pupils had no toilet facilities, and promised to give the school a facelift.
“The most important thing we can do as a nation is to invest in basic education. Investment in children is the most important.
“I am here today to support my brother, Dr Moses Paul, the ADC candidate contesting for the AMAC council. You know he is campaigning and going round the communities in his constituency,’’ he said.
Tinubu’s one-party state unfolding — ADC
On its part, African Democratic Congress, ADC, said the defection of Governor Peter Mbah to APC and resignation of his Bayelsa States counterpart, Douye Diri, have confirmed its long-held warning that President Bola Tinubu was determined to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.
The party made the accusation in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, describing the defections as a betrayal of the people and a dangerous sign for Nigeria’s democracy.
According to ADC, while the defections might appear to strengthen the APC, they, in fact, represent a loss for democracy and a deliberate effort by the ruling party to weaken the opposition and consolidate unchecked power.
“The recent defections by the governors of Enugu and Bayelsa states to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, validate African Democratic Congress, ADC’s long-standing warning that President Bola Tinubu is determined to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, no matter the cost to democracy or national stability,” Abdullahi said.
The party accused the defected governors of abandoning their citizens and aligning with a government that had, in its words, made life ‘miserable’ for majority of Nigerians.
“While it may seem like the APC has added more governors to its column, in reality, what has happened is these governors have actually abandoned their people to team up with the ruling party that has made life miserable for the majority,” the ADC added.
The party said Nigerians were already living through the daily failures of the APC government, citing insecurity, economic hardship, and poor social welfare as evidence of misgovernance.
“Nigerians can see the current state of the nation. They live through the APC’s failures every single day. Even those who once campaigned for the APC or had its logo on their social media profiles now avoid association with the party,” Abdullahi said.
He added that the Tinubu administration had failed in all major areas of governance, including insecurity, economic management, healthcare, anti-corruption, and foreign policy.
“Every day, Nigerians are paying the price for these failures. Food prices continue to increase, jobs are non-existent, and insecurity continues to choke every part of the country,” the ADC stated.
The party condemned the defected governors for what it described as an act of historic ‘political apostasy,’ saying they had abdicated their role as opposition leaders who should have defended the people and provided alternative solutions.
“When the ruling party has misgoverned the country, the only hope for the people in a democracy is for the opposition to rise up in defence, propose alternative ideas, and lead the people out of their misery. Instead, they abdicated. And in an act of historic political apostasy, they chose to join the grand conspiracy against the Nigerian people,” the party said.
The ADC, however, maintained that the opposition coalition remains undeterred by the defections, insisting that the line between those fighting for national redemption and those pursuing selfish interests has become clearer.
“While the ruling party continues to celebrate the defection of these governors, the ADC and the opposition coalition are equally delighted that the line has been made even clearer between those who are committed to saving the country and those who merely want to join the gravy train,” the ADC stated.
Abdullahi declared that the 2027 general elections would not merely be a political contest but a decisive struggle between the Nigerian people and what he called ‘Tinubu’s gang of governors.’
“The people can see, and they are waiting. 2027 will be a clear battle between the people of Nigeria and President Tinubu and his gang of governors in the APC,” he said.
I remain firmly with PDP —Dickson
In his reaction, former governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Seriake Dickson, said he was not part of the movement of Governor Douye Diri from Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC, He vowed to remain firmly in the PDP, committed to defending Nigeria’s multiparty democracy, insisting that the PDP remained the only party that had provided the Niger Delta with genuine political inclusion at the national level.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, Dickson, who described the defection as “sad” and “ridiculous,” warned that the growing trend of politicians abandoning opposition parties for the ruling APC was undermining Nigeria’s democratic pluralism.
He said: “I remain where I have always been, in the PDP. I do not believe Nigeria should be a one-party state. As a soldier of democracy, I am used to the ups and downs of political life. I remain steadfast in the PDP, working with colleagues to ensure that the problems in the party are solved.
“I hope the governors and the leadership who created the mess in our party, instead of showing leadership, will now take responsibility. It is very sad. It makes Nigeria look small and makes our democracy look ridiculous.”
The senator lamented what he called a culture of political opportunism among Nigerian politicians, contrasting it with Ghana’s more stable democratic experience.
He added: “In Ghana, when President Mahama lost elections, he stayed in his party. When Akufo-Addo’s party later lost, they stayed. President Mahama contested again, won, and was congratulated by his opponent, even before the final tally. That’s democracy.
“In Nigeria, politicians decamp at the slightest opportunity. Whatever they are pursuing or whatever is pursuing them belittles our democracy and endangers our multiparty system.
“I remain standing in the PDP, the party that gave my people and the Niger Delta the opportunity to produce a vice president, an acting President, and a President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This other party cannot do that.”
Dickson noted that while the PDP had internal issues, the solution laid in reforming the party, rather than abandoning it.
He said: “If, however, we do not succeed in saving the PDP, then we will be part of a collective decision but that should not be to join the ruling party. There must always be opposition. A democracy without opposition ceases to be democracy; it becomes dictatorship and totalitarianism.”
He disclosed that Governor Diri consulted him several times before the defection but said he saw “no compelling reason” for a second-term governor to leave the party that brought him to power.
“Since I left office, unlike others, I have not played godfather. I made no requests, no demands, no pressure. I have only been available for consultation and advice.
‘’In this case, the governor consulted me several times, to his credit. I was not convinced because I saw no compelling reason for a second-term governor to defect,’’ Senator Dickson said.
3 more PDP govs will soon resign — Fayose
Meanwhile, former governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose, has claimed that three more governors elected on the platform of the PDP would soon dump the opposition party.
Fayose made the claim while speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, following the resignation of Bayelsa State governor, Douye Diri, from the PDP.
According to him, the opposition party may soon be left with only five governors as internal crises continue to plague its ranks.
He said:”Let me tell you, there are three more governors that will leave soon. There will be five remaining. The five remaining, one of them will struggle to catch the ticket, and they all know that the ticket is an ordinary tissue paper.
“They are largely killing the party because they want to control it. This is what happened in 2023.”
Fayose dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu had been coercing opposition governors to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
He argued that most of the defecting governors were acting out of self-interest and political calculation.
“President Tinubu should not be blamed for PDP’s problems. The PDP is sick and remains perpetually sick without a cure in view,” he stated.
The former governor maintained that the crisis within the PDP is the result of internal sabotage by some of its leaders.
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