About three to four governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are set to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and support the second term push of President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 elections.
The move which might put the final nail on the main opposition party’s coffin might not be unconnected to the threats by many northern states to withdraw their support for Tinubu’s re-election.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, other opposition leaders as well as aggrieved politicians within the ruling party have been at the forefront of championing a coalition of political parties that will challenge Tinubu and APC in 2027.
Checks revealed that Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State last Friday, at a public event, confirmed support for Tinubu saying in his state, there’s no more party politics as they are all in a “unity party” of PDP and APC.
With Governor Eno’s open support for Tinubu’s reelection, THISDAY gathered that the entire machinery of the PDP in the state will be deployed for APC’s victory and also to facilitate the return of the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio to the upper chamber as president in 2027.
The planned defection or realignment of more PDP governors, it was learnt, has brightened APC and Tinubu’s chances in the 2027 general election, especially with threats in the North to withdraw support.
Tinubu won 62 per cent of his votes in the 19 northern states in the 2023 presidential election.
Investigation revealed that the defection talks with many PDP governors have reached advanced stages.
However, certain conditions are said to be attached to the proposed deals to make the deals a win-win for the negotiating parties.
THISDAY gathered that President Tinubu had also met with some APC senators as a prelude to the governors’ defections and informed them of the development.
A competent source privy to the negotiations told THISDAY that Governor Eno agreed to join the APC because he also feared his re-election might be truncated and wanted to secure it ahead of 2027.
It was also gathered that Akpabio is coordinating talks for his defection.
Uno was also said to be determined to use his defection to get the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), off the back of his benefactor and predecessor, Udom Emmanuel, who is currently under the watch of the agency.
To also prepare the minds of his colleague-governors in the PDP, Eno was alleged to have refused to host PDP governors in his state.
To reciprocate Eno’s endorsement of Tinubu, the Senate President, Akpabio, pledged to support the governor for a second term.
Akpabio, represented by the Chairperson of the National Assembly Service Commission, Saviour Enyiekere, gave the endorsement in his Goodwill message at a public lecture organised by the Faculty of Social Science, University of Uyo, on Tuesday.
The suspended governor Fubara is also weighing the options on whether to back Tinubu whilst retaining his membership of the PDP or defect to the APC.
THISDAY also gathered that Fubara’s initial plan to defect to the APC was frustrated by the political crisis that engulfed his state.
His plans to join the APC were believed to have been stalled largely due to President Tinubu’s displeasure with his handling of the political crisis in his state and partly by his estranged benefactor, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike’s effective grip on the APC structure in the state.
However, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State and the suspended Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, are weighing options of support for Tinubu’s second term whilst not changing or decamping from the opposition PDP.
The pro-Tinubu PDP governors were said to be behind the decision of the PDP governors not to support any coalition with other parties to sack the president in 2027.
THISDAY also learnt that the planned defections have raised concerns in the PDP as the stakeholders and leaders of the party are considering the grave implications for a party that is trying to rebuild itself.
They were of the view that if this happened, the opposition party might be badly affected in the 2027 elections, as this could deal a deadly blow to them and signal a walkover for President Tinubu.