Contrary to widespread assumptions that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is engineering the ongoing wave of defections by opposition governors and lawmakers into the All Progressives Congress (APC), a senior administration official has denied the claim, insisting that the defectors are joining the ruling party of their own volition.
The clarification comes amid growing outrage within opposition ranks, as the House of Representatives’ Minority Caucus threatened to challenge the defections through all legal and parliamentary means available.
‘Tinubu Never Reached Out to Anyone’
According to the official, President Tinubu has not lobbied or pressured any opposition politician to join the APC. Instead, he said the defections are driven by goodwill and the President’s perceived fairness in governance.
“Even the politics going on now, Tinubu never reached out to anyone to defect to his party. They are coming themselves, partly because he is very fair and nice to them,” the source said.
He also noted that while the Federal Government continues to tackle insecurity and economic challenges, many state governments have failed to play their part despite increased federal allocations since the removal of fuel subsidy.
“There is no state government in the country today that is borrowing money. This is happening for the first time, and they have excess funds. Every state gets at least ₦20 billion monthly. If they want to do good governance, that is primarily their responsibility,” the official added.
Minority Caucus: ‘This Is Political Weaponization’
However, opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives have described the mass defections as “a dangerous assault” on Nigeria’s democracy, accusing the APC of weaponizing power to silence dissent and dominate the legislature.
Minority Leader Hon. Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) said the defections were a “shameful violation of constitutional principles,” warning that the caucus would not allow the trend to continue unchecked.
“We cannot sit and watch democracy reduced to a survival game for the highest bidder. The Constitution is clear — unless there’s a division in a party, no member has the right to defect and retain their seat. Anything short of that is illegal,” Chinda said.
Minority Caucus Spokesman, Hon. Victor Ogene (LP, Anambra), echoed the concern, describing the defections as products of “political intimidation and inducement.”
“This is not about ideology but raw political manipulation. The ruling party is using state power to weaken opposition strength and create a rubber-stamp legislature,” Ogene stated.
He revealed that opposition lawmakers would soon present a joint motion on the floor of the House demanding an investigation into the alleged inducements behind the defections.
‘Democratic Betrayal’
Hon. Dennis Agbo (LP, Enugu) condemned defecting lawmakers for “abandoning their ideals for political comfort,” calling it a betrayal of the youth-driven mandate that brought many of them to office in 2023.
“This is political prostitution of the highest order. It’s a betrayal of millions of young Nigerians who believed in change,” Agbo said.
Similarly, Hon. Obi Aguocha (APGA, Abia) warned that Nigeria was drifting toward a one-party state reminiscent of the pre-2015 political climate.
“What we’re witnessing is history repeating itself — a slide toward hegemonic dominance that breeds corruption and poor governance,” he said.
Since 2023, at least six governors and about 70 opposition lawmakers — including 16 senators and 56 House of Representatives members — have defected to the APC. In several states, entire assemblies have also followed their governors into the ruling party.
While APC loyalists view the movement as evidence of Tinubu’s national acceptance, opposition parties see it as a threat to multi-party democracy and constitutional order.
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