President Bola Tinubu’s determined push to weaken opposition ranks appears to be yielding results, with strong indications that four Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors are set to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Fresh investigation has revealed that Tinubu, long on the defensive against opposition attacks, has intensified efforts to consolidate power by targeting key figures in rival parties. His moves, insiders said, triggered the current wave of high-profile defections.
While sources within the APC and the Presidency attributed the looming defections to Tinubu’s aggressive political strategy, some opposition figures have accused the President of using inducements and blackmail to lure defectors. The president’s allies, on the other hand, have argued that his leadership style has made the APC increasingly attractive.
Governors Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Abba Yusuf (Kano), and suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara have been named as the next big catches for the ruling party.
“It is not a rumour. It is happening; those four governors – Eno, Mbah, Yusuf and Fubara — are on their way to joining the APC,” a senior party source confirmed.
Officials at the APC national secretariat in Abuja also corroborated the development, pointing to an aggressive recruitment drive spearheaded by the President and top party leaders.
The anticipated defections come on the heels of last Wednesday’s surprise defection by Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his predecessor Ifeanyi Okowa, and the entire PDP structure in the state to the APC. Their move was announced by Senator James Manager after a six-hour meeting at the Government House in Asaba.
Meanwhile, concerns have emerged over the tactics allegedly employed to secure these defections. A senior source cited the alleged Tinubu’s secret meeting with Fubara in London as a possible example of backroom pressure. The meeting reportedly took place at Fubara’s request following his suspension and the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
A source familiar with the situation said, “It was at that meeting that we believed Fubara must have been coaxed into considering the idea of defection as part of the arrangement to retaurn his mandate. We also have reasons to suspect that Governor Eno’s potential move to the APC is linked to his predecessor and godfather’s alleged corruption case with the EFCC.”
Regarding Kano, the source stated that Tinubu had intensified reconciliation efforts between former Governors Abdullahi Ganduje and Rabiu Kwankwaso to pave the way for Yusuf’s defection.
“In the coming days, the news of Abba Yusuf’s defection will be made public because he will officially move to the APC with his mentor. We all know Kano is too big a state for Tinubu to ignore politically,” he added.