The governor of Oyo, Seyi Makinde, has criticised the wave of defections from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and believes the shirt-swapping by politicians does not address the country’s issues.
Makinde, a chieftain of the PDP, spoke in Ibadan, Oyo, during a media chat on Tuesday. According to him, the defections may have telling implications for the country, especially among younger people.
“We need to start talking about the survival of democracy in Nigeria. Individual ambition is tertiary, not even secondary. Everybody should keep talking, even people within the APC who are not happy. We should talk to them as well,” the governor said.
“We should all keep talking because we run the risk of an Arab Spring. You have people without leadership. A shoemaker will be made a leader for them, and they will show us — in fact, people should write it down, what Nigerian people will show politicians and elites in 2027.
“We cannot imagine it right now. And when they say governors have defected and all of that, what of hunger? Where is hunger and anger in the land? Has it defected?”
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‘Survival of Democracy’
The PDP has seen its ranks severely depleted in recent months. Governors, lawmakers, and other top shots have left the opposition party for the APC, less than two years to the 2027 elections.
Makinde, though, said he won’t be leaving the party and wants to focus on the “survival” of democracy and the PDP. The governor warned that with the defections, Nigeria risks becoming a one-party state.
He also said Wike, his former ally, who is backing President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, is well within his rights to do so.
Makinde, however, said, “Some of us who want democracy to survive in Nigeria, we don’t drift into a one-party state, and we want to ensure that PDP survives; he should also allow us to do our own thing”.
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Tinubu Mocks Opposition
Despite criticisms about the defections, the APC said democracy is thriving in Nigeria, and blamed the political switches on the opposition’s inability to address its challenges.
“Political parties fearful of members leaving may be better served by examining their internal processes and affairs rather than fearfully conjuring up demons that do not exist,” Tinubu of the APC said in June while addressing a joint session of the National Assembly in celebration of the 2025 Democracy Day.
“For me, I will not say, ‘Try your best to put your house in order’. I will not help you to do so either. It is indeed a pleasure to witness you in such disarray.”
