What City People Found Out
Over the last few days, the topic of discussion among a lot of politicians has been the gale of defections from other parties to the APC. Many politicians have also become worried about the pro-Tinubu comments coming from some top politicians in the PDP and Labour Party, especially from some of the serving governors.
The recent decision by the Delta Governor, his Deputy and all his commissioners came as a big surprise.
Worst hit are the arrowheads of the major opposition to Pres. Tinubu, namely Alhaji Abubakar Atiku (PDP) Mallam El-Rufai (SAP) and Peter Obi Labour who are all advocating for a group to battle Tinubu.
Since the gale of defections, the 3 of them have kept mum. They are not happy at the turn of events.
There are also uncomfirmed reports that Alhaji Kwankwaso of NNPP is most likely to decamp to APC and that suspended Rivers Governor, Fubara is in talks with the President.
The news from all the geographical zones is that many members of the Opposition have agreed to work for Tinubu.
The gale of defection hitting the opposition parties may not be ending soon, as more governors are putting finishing touches to joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a shocking move, Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori became the latest high-profile politician to team up with the APC after he led his cabinet to dump the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), adding another layer of intrigue ahead of the 2027 general election.
But Oborevwori’s defection to the APC won’t be the last as more governors are set to move to the APC, according to Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa.
“I don’t know the number, but we are expecting [more governors to join the APC],” the Nasarawa governor said on Thursday while fielding questions on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
“You have a lot of people who have shown interest – even among the governors, you know – who are coming into the APC,” the APC chieftain said.
According to him, the swelling number of high-profile politicians in the APC is a reflection of the reforms by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Governor Sule said many politicians in the country admire the president’s leadership and have already indicated interest in joining the ruling party.
“When we are meeting with the president, you see the excitement among them,” he said.
Sule said the governors feel “accepted by this president, and they like him”.
Oborevwori aligned with the APC alongside his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, in Asaba on Wednesday, ending months of speculation over the governor’s future. Okowa was the vice presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 election.
The defection came days after Governor Oborevwori threw his weight behind President Tinubu for the next general elections in 2027, despite being a member of the PDP then. His Akwa Ibom counterpart, Umoh Eno, also followed a similar path, endorsing the Nigerian president for a second term.
The Delta State Information Commissioner, Charles Aniagwu, cited the need “for us to be able to collaborate and build a state that every Deltan will be proud of” as a reason for the defection.
Former Delta State Governor and 2023 PDP Vice Presidential candidate, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, has also officially joined the All Progressives Congress (APC).
His successor, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, and the entire structure of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State also joined the APC.
The mass defection was announced last Wednesday following an enlarged stakeholders’ meeting held at the Government House in Asaba.
The development marks a significant political shift in Delta State ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Confirming the development, Senator James Manager said: “All PDP members in the state, including the governor, former Governor Okowa, the Speaker, the state Party Chairman, all the local government chairmen and others, have agreed to move to the APC. We cannot continue to be in a sinking boat.”
Prior to the formal announcement, Okowa, in a viral video, addressed supporters in his dialect, assuring them that he would choose the best path forward.
Be assured that we will not go in the wrong direction. We will take the best direction, the best path for our people,” he said.
Already insiders are saying that Gov. Fubara has reached a private agreement with Pres. Bola Tinubu to secure his reinstatement.
It is being rumoured that a series of non-negotiable conditions that Fubara must meet before reinstatement have been given to him.
These include immediate defection to APC. He is required to formerly resign his membership of the PDP to join the APC.
In recognition of Fubara’s cooperation, the President is said to have guaranteed that no impeachment or legislative removal attempts will be initiated against him. This immunity clause covers all actions related to the March 18 state of emergency and any subsequent political disputes, allowing Fubara to complete his current term without fear of ouster.
There is also his commitment not to seek re-election in 2027. We hear to pave the way for a new leadership and quell factional tensions within Rivers State, Fubara has been asked to publicly declare and legally bind himself to forgo any bid for a 2nd term in the 2027 guber election. This concession aims to appease aggrieved stakeholders on both sides and prevent future power stuggles.
Political analyst see the deal as representing a lifeline out of his current situation.
If he accepts these conditions it will afford him the opportunity to finish his tenure with full executive authority restored.
Some believe that the requirement that Fubara abstain from the 2027 gubernatorial race opens the field for fresh contenders and this will reshape Rivers politics.
Over the weekend, the news broke that Rivers PDP NASS members have endorsed Tinubu for 2027: “We worked assiduously under the leadership of Nyesom Wike for the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. And we were victorious in that assignment. As members of the National Assembly from Rivers State, we declare unequivocally our unconditional resolve to work again for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu come 2027.”
Members of the Rivers Caucus in the National Assembly have thrown their weight behind President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.
The caucus, which comprises 2 senators and 7 House of Representatives members, all of whom are members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), urged other aspirants to shelve their ambitions, stating that Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda remains “the surest path to Nigeria’s prosperity and progress.”
In a statement read by Senator Barry Mpigi on Saturday in Port Harcourt signed by all members, the Rivers NASS Caucus said their decision was informed by the visible successes of the Tinubu administration, which they described as “working and on course.”
The lawmakers praised Tinubu’s economic policies, saying they are targeted at repositioning the nation’s struggling economy.
The statement reads: “We, the members of the National Assembly from Rivers State, comprising Senators and Members of the House of Representatives, extend our heartfelt gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his trust and confidence in our leader, His Excellency Nyesom Ezenwo Wike, following his appointment as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory. We are gladdened by the President’s public acknowledgement and commendation of the exceptional performance of the Minister of FCT, whom he described as the ‘Master of Infrastructure.’”
Reflecting on the economic situation Tinubu inherited, they noted: “Now, having carefully reviewed the President’s economic policies which are targeted at repositioning our once moribund economy through his Renewed Hope Agenda, and taking into account the massive rot and decadence he inherited on the 29th of May, 2023—including our unenviable debt profile and the terrible inflationary figures occasioned by the printing of N22.7 trillion by the Central Bank of Nigeria through Ways and Means overdraft for the Federal Government between 2015 and 2023 under former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“And the near-absence of critical infrastructure to support food production; we have come to the conclusion that the President’s economic plan is the surest way out of our country’s social and economic morass. Further, our assessment is firm that the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda is very much on track with already visible results and a credible basis that offers greater improvement in the economic wellbeing of Nigerians if given the necessary time. Still, we are convinced that the declining inflation figures, the substantial reduction in our foreign debt profile, and an IMF-backed promising growth figure all bode well for the economy in the years ahead.”- Advertisement –
The lawmakers also commended Tinubu’s swift intervention in the political crisis that rocked Rivers State, describing it as a move that “has set the process of peace in motion, even as we pray and hope to see a clear path to an enduring peace built on sincerity of purpose.”
“We worked assiduously under the leadership of Nyesom Wike for the election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. And we were victorious in that assignment.”
“As members of the National Assembly from Rivers State, we declare unequivocally our unconditional resolve to work again for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu come 2027.
“As legislators who are closest to the people, we shall begin the mother of all mobilizations of our people to repeat in greater measure what we did in 2023 in order to re-elect President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“Finally, we call on all Nigerians to support the consolidation of the Renewed Hope Agenda as the surest panacea for the prosperity and progress of Nigeria. And, in this connection, we appeal to would-be presidential candidates, especially those with desperate and never-ending presidential ambitions, to jettison such ambition and rally round our dear President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR) in 2027.”
The 9 caucus members are Senator Barry Mpigi, Senator Allwell Onyesoh, Rt. Hon. Dumnamene Dekor, Solomon Bob, Hon. Felix Nwaeke, Hon. Kelechi Nwogu, Cyril Hart, Victor Obuzor, and Blessing Amadi.
