As the race for 2027 elections begins to shape up, strong rumours of defection are swirling around no fewer than five first term opposition governors, LEADERSHIP checks have revealed.

Investigations by LEADERSHIP showed that governors of Abia (Alex Otti) Enugu (Peter Mbah), Delta (Sheriff Oborevwori), Rivers (Siminalayi Fubara) and Akwa Ibom (Umoh Eno) have had to address concerns surrounding talks about their plans to dump their parties for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). While Mbah, Fubara, Eno, Oborevwori belong to the major opposition PDP, Otti belongs to the Labour Party.

Interestingly, both parties have been locked in post-2023 election crises which seems to have defied interventions so far.

While some sources confided in LEADERSHIP that some of the governors are being subtly pressured to join the ruling APC, others noted that others, mindful of the instability in their party, are open to joining a platform that would enhance their chances of securing a second term.

Since the return of democracy in Nigeria in 1999, over 20 sitting governors have dumped their political parties for another. The top states with the highest number of sitting governors jumping ship are Sokoto, Imo, Abia and Adamawa.

In Sokoto, three governors have dumped their parties for another, while two sitting governors in Imo, Abia, Zamfara and Adamawa have done the same.

While some first term governors were able to win a second term, others were not so lucky.

In Abia State, concerns about Governor Otti’s loyalty to his party arose when he resorted to the Zenith Labour Party as a special purpose vehicle for the local government election in the state last year.

However, talks about dumping his party heightened when after the groundbreaking ceremony for the Abia airport, the minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, declared that the Abia governor would return to the APC.

Nigerians, especially members of the opposition parties, have been urged to desist from making statements that could incite the masses against the government.

An Osun All Progressives Congress, APC, chieftain, Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, gave this advice while speaking with journalists on Sunday in Osogbo. Oyintiloye said that, while it is the right of the opposition parties to act as watchdogs for government policies and programs, making comments that could destabilize the country was not the best approach.

He noted that unchecked negative comments and criticisms by the opposition could cause unnecessary distractions for the federal government.

Oyintiloye, a former lawmaker, emphasized that what the government needs from the opposition at the moment is constructive criticism, which could help the government concentrate on delivering good governance.

The APC chieftain argued that the politics of bitterness and hatred by the opposition would not promote unity in the country but would instead cause division and ill feelings among Nigerians.

Oyintiloye stated that anyone hiding under the umbrella of the opposition to incite the masses against the government through their comments should be treated as an enemy of the country.

The former lawmaker also pointed out that recent comments by some opposition members against the president had caused unnecessary uproar.

“The truth is that we don’t have any other country except Nigeria, and that is why we need to play the role of the opposition reasonably.

“Making comments that could incite the masses against the government in the name of politics is unpatriotic and should be avoided.

“Members of opposition parties have the right to criticize the government, but such criticism should be constructive to assist the government in achieving its best for the people.

“Constructive criticism is about appreciating the good policies and highlighting the drawbacks, not despising the policies and programs of the government.

“If done in good faith, it will keep the true essence of democracy alive, give it a chance to improve the quality of good governance, and create a better society,” he said.

Oyintiloye, however, stated that the government, with all sense of responsibility, should take seriously constructive criticism that would improve the country and make it enviable among the comity of nations.

“Furthermore, the government should embrace the culture of engaging critical stakeholders during the policy formation stage to reduce unnecessary criticism of the policy during implementation.”

While urging Nigerians to always contribute their quota, he insisted that what the president needs at this point in time is support and prayers to succeed in his assignment.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State has been embroiled in crisis, which is traceable to 2018 when the Supreme Court banned it from being part of the 2019 general election in the state.

Since then, the party has not fully recovered as it has moved from one problem to another. In this exclusive interview with DAILY POST, Mr Chibuike Ikenga, the spokesperson of the faction of the party led by Tony Okocha, opens up on how it all began, especially, the role played by former Governor Chibuike Amaechi, chances of Governor Sim Fubara returning to the Bricks House in 2027 and the melting relationship between FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike and Peter Odili. Excerpts!

Can you share a little background on how the crisis in the APC started in Rivers State?

APC has had these challenges for a long time now. I’m a foundation member of the APC. We started this around 2012. I’ve been here till date. I’m the Publicity Secretary of the party. So it didn’t come without hard work. APC started very well, but the leadership at that time mismanaged the fortunes of the party as a result of irreconcilable differences between the leaders, the governor then, Rotimi Amaechi and a few others who disagreed. That’s what weakened the party and made it impossible for it to win elections. The APC became a serial loser of elections until 2023 when the President emerged and won in Rivers State. So that was how the crisis began.

Why is there no peace in sight in Rivers APC and can the two factions ever come together to form a formidable force?

There’s no factional APC. The party is supreme. If some people have lost their positions on grounds of anti-party and gross ineptitude which also diminished the fortunes of the party, and the national leadership of the party thought it wise to dissolve them, because the constitution of the party provides that the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party take the decision on how the party is run, and can sometimes seed their power to the National Working Committee, NWC.

And in this case, the National Executive Committee did seed their power to the National Working Committee as required by the law, to dissolve the State Working Committee. Minutes of the national executive committee meeting are there. INEC was there. So they seeded their power to dissolve the EXCO that had become controversial, and instituted the caretaker committee with clear mandates, so I know that the court has decided… There’s a subsisting Supreme Court judgment that says that courts are barred from participating in internal affairs of political parties. So every decision that is not linked with that Supreme Court decision is null and void.

Just like I said earlier, there is no faction in Rivers APC. But there are some people who are angry. Because they are angry, you construe it as factionalization. That’s not correct. I have told you that some persons who were in control of the structures of the party from inception, some of them did contest elections, even from the National up to the local government level, and have lost the opportunities of clinching power. And then, you know, politics, they say, is dynamic.

You know, a lot of things have happened. There are some new entrants. There are some people who exited the party and there’s alignment and realignment. And then, gradually, some people have found out that some persons they hold in high esteem are feather or paper weights. So people are beginning to realign, and then things are moving in such a way that some people who are strong enough are beginning to grab the structure of the party. So that’s why if they have lost in that power struggle, they now tend to align with the Governor [Fubara] to see to what extent they can use the judiciary to torpedo what APC is doing, but it’s only a temporary setback. APC is one in rivers.

Do you by any means suspect that former Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi has a role to play in Rivers APC crisis despite his silence?

Yes of course, we know where everybody belongs. He’s a member of…he’s working hand in glove with Atiku to unseat the President. We’re Rivers people. We know all that’s happening. We know ourselves. Rotimi, he comes to River State clandestinely, holds meetings at night, we get snippets of those meetings; check all his supporters, those working with him are always with Sim Fubara. Emeka Beke, who is claimed to be a functional Chairman of the party, which does not exist, is an ally of Rotimi Amaechi.

Can you elaborate on your issues with Rotimi Amaechi and why can’t Ganduje bring the APC leader onboard?

I was the leader of the party, in his [Amaechi] local government. I don’t like to discuss Amaechi but sometimes I will not shy away from it. Amaechi himself knows that someone like me, I put in everything and laid down my life for the success of the APC. He has the larger chunk of the blame for the fortunes of the APC in Rivers. It is my belief and I’m convinced that he mismanaged the support he had. It is my belief, in capital letters, that he mismanaged the support that was freely given to him and I know he knows that’s the fact.

There are too many problems, you know. If you’re in politics, you don’t assume you know everything. Once you continue to assume that power and ideas only come from up down without also knowing that ideas can come from down up, of course, you have a challenge. Now, when you also believe that you know everything, nobody can say anything, nobody can advise, you have a challenge knowing you believe that whatever you say is final, nobody can challenge you, that’s a major problem for a political party.

Look, what you do is you win some, you lose some. You know, compromises here and there. People don’t join political parties because …I didn’t join APC because I loved Amaechi’s face. I joined the party at that time with him, believing that when we support him to win, at least I’ll be able to support my community to develop, attract projects and all services to my people, and develop myself too. So not because I love him that much. Yes, in the cause of our relationship we may have developed love, but the major thing is interest. So when that interest can no longer be carried together, then we can go separate ways.

I can remember, you can ask anybody, I told him I said oga, ‘let me tell you, for your information, the reason why I’m in this party is because of you. I said, any day my interest is no longer protected I’ll leave’. I told him that severally and when it became obvious that my interest was no longer protected, I resigned from the leadership six months before the presidential election and the state shook. When I resigned, he never called me.

So back to what we are saying, it’s because a lot of them have lost the grip of the party, they are in a serious quagmire. They don’t know what to do, other than to align with Governor Fubara to see how they can use Rivers High Court to stop what we are doing. But take note, Rivers High Court is just the inferior court to, of course, to the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

Is there evidence linking the Emeka Beke-led APC faction to anti-party activities during the 2023 election to warrant the NWC sacking them?

I’m one of the leaders of the party and have been there from the onset, yes, from the day one. I was there when the decision was taken that they should support Atiku. They should support Atiku and shouldn’t vote for Tinubu. Was that not anti-party? It was for this reason they were removed, and they were factionalized.

Did the Tony Okocha’s faction working with the FCT minister, Nyesom Wike not commit anti-party too?

That’s the fact. We are working with the FCT minister. Is President Tinubu not working with Wike? Did he not appoint him as Minister? And he is also driving the Renewed Hope Agenda of the APC administration. Wike doesn’t need to support the growth or otherwise of the APC in Rivers. He is not a member of the APC but whether we like it or not, he’s a minister under APC, and he’s driving the policies and programmes of the APC.

Why can’t the Okocha’s faction of the APC you belong to, obey the Rivers High Court ruling nullifying the appointment of the Caretaker Committee by Ganduje, as well as your state congress?

That’s a procured judgement and does not have any locus when the superior courts speak. Those are procured from River State High Court. So can that override the position of the Court of Appeal? Can it override the position of the Supreme Court? We have a judgment that said we should go ahead and do our congress, from the Court of Appeal. The question we’re asking is ‘how come a state high court has the power to override the superior courts? It doesn’t have the powers. It’s a political jamboree from the Rivers State High Court, particularly from some of those judges. There is a subsisting court judgment, a Court of Appeal judgment, which gave us a clean bill to go ahead with our congresses. I also told you that there is a subsisting judgment of the Supreme Court which says that courts are barred from interfering in the internal affairs of political parties. That’s the Supreme Court decision.

What are the chances of the Rivers APC come 2027?

As the spokesperson of APC in River state, I can assure you that APC will win the election come 2027. Let me just call your attention to a few things.

First, you know that PDP is grossly divided from the national down to the state. But in APC, there’s no division. The only thing that is happening in Rivers State is that some persons who have lost power, people like Rotimi Amaechi and others who try to run for election at the national, state and local levels and couldn’t win, they now feel that they have lost the structures of the party, and therefore they have decided to cause trouble.

What are the chances of Governor Fubara returning to power in 2027?

Well, firstly, you are saying that he may be moving to another party. I know that he is a member of the PDP. He hasn’t moved to another party. And in the PDP that I know in Nigeria and in Rivers State, the FCT minister and former governor, Wike is in absolute control of the structures of the party, with his team. He’s the leader, and you know they produced a Governor who is a civil servant. That’s without diminishing his [Fubara] status as governor of Rivers State. He’s my personal friend. And you know, he hasn’t been here before. There are people who have confidence in him, and then try to push him, and then try to develop him, try to lead him on, and then make him governor. He has broken the relationship. That relationship has completely gone southwards. But if he can do anything to rescue that relationship, then he has a chance. He has a chance to rescue the relationship with his benefactors, particularly as led by the FCT Minister and other leaders of his party.

But if that is not done between now and in the next three months, it will be too hot for him to see a leeway to retain the governorship. But alignments are still going on, very seriously. No, it’s not only about Fubara and Wike. This is a team thing. The disagreement is within the team. You know, the governor is accused of abandoning those who brought him to power and taking along those who fought him not to come to power. And you know, it’s really very painful when people who fought for him to be governor are seeing the food they have cooked, the pot of soup, he now took it and instead is dilly-dallying and dining with those who were opposed to it. It’s very painful, and it’s very difficult for reconciliation to come. But be that as it may, I believe that everything is possible. But like I said, if he’s able to have reconciliation with his team, the team that brought him into power, I think that will be it. But we as APC, we are praying that the relationship continues to deteriorate, which will grant us an advantage, so we can take over the reins of government in Rivers, and then the governor will now lead opposition in Rivers.

What happens if Wike decides to sponsor another candidate for the governorship in 2027, will the Okocha’s faction back the minister’s candidate, or will you field your own candidate?

Definitely, I believe that the FCT minister will bring his candidate. We’ll bring our own candidate in APC and then we go to the battlefield. How can we back a candidate in PDP? Whoever wins will take over, we have an advantage, because the governor, if he doesn’t get the ticket, which is unlikely, it’s unlikely that he will get the ticket. Then he’ll go ahead and do anti-party. He’ll work against the party, the PDP, then it would be advantageous for us. A lot of permutations are going on.

What is the fate of the Martins Amaewhule-led 26 lawmakers after they decamped to the APC?

Martins Amaewhule and the 26 others did not decamp to our party. They’re PDP members. They signaled interest in joining our party. They have not. They have not registered as members of our party. Their names are not found in our party register, and they didn’t go to their wards to go and register. So they are not members of our party. Amaewhule and the others did not participate in APC congress but were part of the PDP’s last Congress. They are not our members and more so, Right Hon. Martin Amaewhule and the 26 others are the authentic members of the State Assembly recognised by the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal.

In recognition of that, the Court of Appeal ordered that the Rivers State 2024 appropriation bill be represented to the House recognised by law and headed by Martin Amaewhule. There was no time we received them into the APC. There was nothing of that nature. They should prove it.

How would peace return to the Rivers House of Assembly?

The best thing that will bring peace to the Rivers State House of Assembly is that all the factions, let all the groups disagreeing or belligerent, obey the rule of law. Let everybody be equal before the law…when there’s disagreement between arms of government, it is the responsibility of the judiciary to intervene and interpret the Constitution to ensure equilibrium.

And in this case, anybody can get up and say anything. But once disagreement is there, as it is in Rivers State House of Assembly, a disagreement between the executive and the executive, and then the only habitat is the judiciary. And the judiciary had made consequential pronouncements that the executive should obey but the executive has continued to disobey with impunity. So if everyone, every group, obeys the rule of law, then this matter will be as good as over and then the governance of the state will be seamless. Disobedience to rule of law is an issue.

Who would you blame for the deteriorating relationship between ex-Governors Nyesom Wike and Peter Odili?

Okay, let me tell you, Dr. Peter Odili was reckless. And we are very disappointed. He was very highly rated as a very intelligent man, very brilliant, and a man who understands when to take step forward and when to take step backwards.

Unfortunately, I don’t know whether for pecuniary seasons, because the governor is supporting his university, which Wike did support immeasurably. So I don’t know what led to that. Former Governor Peter Odili has always been respected in Rivers States, as particularly from, I’m an Ikwerre man. People see him as the one who helped to support Amaechi to gain the ticket. For the first time, an Ikwerre man became governor. Even when Amaechi had the K-leg thing that was imposed by Obasanjo, Odili still brought Amaechi’s cousin, Celestine Omeha. So we had always seen him from that standpoint. But to to say, for Dr. Peter Odili, I listened to him say that Governor Fubara stopped Wike from pocketing River State… It was the same Wike he was praising days ago, because Wike built a house for him, supported his private university with government funds of N500 or N1 billion every year, then he was singing and clapping for Wike, the former governor.

So today, because Wike has a challenge with his successor, Odili had gone in to try to see how he can impugn on integrity of Wike. So Odili is at fault. An elder should behave like an elder, at least Odili, a man, ought to have respected himself. Even if he had anything he needed to tell Wike that he didn’t like, he should have called him privately, or written him a personal letter and sent to him privately. So for him to go full blast against Wike in the media, Wike was equally prepared to return fire for fire and he did that.

So Dr. Odili should be blamed for his reckless and careless utterances. For every action, there must be an equal and opposite reaction. So, if you come to the public today and say that ‘Chibuike Ikenda is a nonentity. He’s an idiot.’ I’ll come, and when I respond, I’ll say, You’re a mad person. You’re not even worth being alive. So that’s what it is. Age doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what his age is. There’s no age in politics. We don’t run a gerontocracy. It’s only in the family that we talk about gerontocracy, but it doesn’t happen in the larger political realm. We don’t run politics, leadership based on age.

What is the way forward for the APC and how can the party overcome its challenges ahead of the 2027 election?

APC is chatting the way forward. If you recall, our National Chairman and National Working Committee came to the inauguration of the newly elected executive members of the party, and wherein he said that we just won Edo state and the next in the South-South is Rivers. I’m sure that’s what irked the governor before they went into trying to procure that court judgment to nullify what we have done.

The national chairman said we will ‘capture’ Rivers and it was enough to make the governor angry, but the governor and his team’s response was to use the court to see to what extent they can nullify, but that’s not to say that that’s a serious matter. We have already gone to the Court of Appeal for it to be set aside, and then we go to the Supreme Court and validate it, so that’s it. So the way out is to let everyone obey the rule of law. Respect boundaries.

The Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the state government have resorted to name-calling. The disagreement may not be unconnected to the speculation surrounding Governor Sheriff Oborevwori’s rumoured defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to APC.

While APC stated that its party is “not a rehabilitation camp for failed politicians” and that it is uninterested in political opportunism or party affiliations driven by personal gains, the state government responded by claiming that APC is only attempting to survive through unintelligent propaganda, which it is currently engaged in.

A statement signed by the APC State Publicity Secretary, Valentine Onojeghuo, described Governor Oborevwori’s tenure as being marred by underperformance, widespread disappointment, and an inability to deliver meaningful development to the people of Delta State.

The statement emphasised that while APC respects the right of individuals to associate with a political party of their choice, it is unconcerned about the governor’s potential defection, given his alleged lack of tangible achievements since assuming office.

While acknowledging the governor’s occasional praise of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s developmental strides, APC accused Governor Oborevwori of squandering Delta State’s resources, despite receiving over N50 billion in federal allocations monthly.

“Governor Oborevwori’s tenure has been marred by underperformance, widespread disappointment, and the inability to deliver meaningful development to the people of Delta State. Deltans are disillusioned by the glaring failures of this administration, and we remain steadfast in our mission to bring sustainable development through visionary leadership,” APC said.

However, Dr Ifeanyi Osuoza, the Delta State Commissioner for Information, reacted by saying: “The Delta APC is living in crippling fear of him, so we can understand why they have become sleepless and incontinent. They are only hoping to survive through unintelligent propaganda, as they are currently engaged in. Pitifully for them, e no go work.”

Former Senior Special Assistant to ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, says rotational presidency has come to stay in Nigeria, stressing that it will be difficult to terminate Southern presidency in 2027.

Akande stated this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos. Akande, while describing political merger talks and plots to return power to the North in 2027 as child’s play, said that such plans were not going to work.

“I think it is just child’s play to terminate Southern presidency in 2027. Nigeria has gone past that.

“The South is going to get its eight years. The North will get the next eight years.

“Politicians are just going to make noise. It is not going to be possible, really, to terminate the Southern term.

“Rotational presidency has come to stay in Nigeria. There is a national consensus around the idea of a rotational presidency between the South and the North.

“Anybody trying to reverse that is just joking. It’s not going to work,” he said.

Speaking on a possible merger among opposition political parties in 2027 against the ruling APC, Akande said mergers would not birth solutions to the country’s problems.

“All of these political mergers are not going to solve the problems of Nigeria.

“In 2014, there was a merger that led to the APC. There were a lot of expectations in this country. APC carried the national wave. Nine years after, where are we?

“We are nowhere different from where we were then because the core issues have been left unaddressed.

“So all of these mergers, even if they (proponents) succeed, what is going to happen is that they will just change the characters of people in the Government House.

“We need to understand that there are fundamental problems that have to be sorted out, and we cannot leave it to politicians,” he added.

He called on Nigerians to unite against common challenges, reiterating that politicians were those benefiting from the system.

According to him, Nigerians ahead of the 2027 elections must have discussions around national consensus on the rule of law, fighting poverty and corruption, issues of local government autonomy, restructuring, and the constitution.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain in Osun, Hon. Moye Alade, has empowered his constituents with farm implements to increase food productivity. The event, tagged “Empowerment and New Year Luncheon,” was held on Saturday, January 11, 2025, at his residence in Ejigbo, Osun State.

Beneficiaries were selected from all 11 wards in the Ejigbo Local Government Area of Osun, including young and old farmers. Speaking at the event, the Osun State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Alh. Tajudeen Lawal, commended Hon. Moye Alade’s long-standing commitment to the party’s progressive ideals.

The initiative, he noted, aligns with the party’s agenda to address food shortages in the country.

Alh. Lawal urged the beneficiaries to make good use of the equipment and remain committed to the party.

Hon. Moye Alade, known for his philanthropic gestures, noted that the empowerment program aims to encourage local farmers to improve their productivity.

He emphasized that if the farmers utilize the implements effectively, it will lead to a surplus of food in the country and reduce scarcity.

While speaking on the forthcoming local government election in Osun, Hon. Moye Alade stressed that winning the election requires a collective effort among APC members and stakeholders.

He advised APC candidates to emulate grassroots initiatives and work together to win future elections.

Hon. Moye Alade said, “As a core APC member, and considering the party’s vision to better Nigerians’ lives, I urge candidates to prioritize Nigerians’ welfare.”

In their separate remarks, Pa Gbadebo Ajao, Sen. Mudashiru Hussein, and Prince Akintola Omolaoye commended Moye Alade for his philanthropic gestures and contributions to the party’s growth.

Hon. Olayanju Africa, speaking on behalf of the APC candidates for the local government election in Ejigbo, praised Hon. Moye Alade’s contributions to the party, describing him as a blessing to the party.

The beneficiaries expressed gratitude and prayed for God’s continued blessings upon Hon. Moye Alade, as the equipment will boost their farming activities.

Highlights of the event included premium entertainment from a cultural troupe, distribution of items, and a luncheon.

Present at the event were former OSSIEC commissioner Hon. Yinka Ajiboye; Ejigbo LG APC Chairman Hon. Lateef Adegoke; former HoR member Hon. Kunle Jayeola; and former Ejigbo Local Government Chairmen, including Alh. Taiwo Hassan, Hon. Jimoh Adigun, Hon. Gbolahan Ayegbayo, and Hon. Bashir Akintegbe.

Also in attendance were local executive officers, ward chairmen, party candidates, and hundreds of party members.

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Mr Laolu Akande, a former spokesperson to ex-Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, says there is no reason for anyone to assume that Osinbajo has left politics or resigned from the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Akande made this statement during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Sunday in Lagos. Recall that Osinbajo has not been active in many political circles since leaving office in 2023, sparking speculations that he may have dumped the APC and politics.

According to report, the former Vice President contested the APC primary in 2022 but failed to clinch the party’s ticket, losing to President Bola Tinubu.

He served as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 under Tinubu’s administration as governor.

Meanwhile, some political watchers have attributed Osinbajo’s retreat from political activities to his loss in the APC primary, while others believe he is devoting less time to politics following his recent appointment as Global Advisor for the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, GEAPP.

When asked about his former principal’s political stance, Akande said he would not involve Osinbajo in his own commentary.

According to him, Osinbajo never informed him of leaving politics and remains an APC member to the best of his knowledge.

Akande also stated that Osinbajo would attend any APC gathering requiring his presence.

“I don’t want to get the man (Osinbajo) involved in my own commentary, but there is no reason to think that he is no longer in the APC. He is still a member of the APC.

“If he gets an invitation to the caucus, you know, he will be there. I don’t think he has left the party,” Akande said.