Governors defecting to APC lack character, says ADC

African Democratic Congress spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi. Photo: Bolaji Abdullahi / X

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The African Democratic Congress has accused governors joining the All Progressives Congress of lacking character, saying their moves are driven by personal convenience rather than conviction.

Speaking on Arise TV on Friday, ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi said, “We don’t have any governors because these governors that are joining the ruling party are not doing so because they are convinced about anything going on in APC. They are all pandering to one vulnerability or another or looking for an easy way out.

“It takes conviction. It takes character. It takes courage. It takes belief in the nation itself for you to join the opposition party even while you are a sitting governor, and that’s what these individuals lack. And it’s easy for them to go and join the ruling. But we are not bothered about that.”

His remarks come against the backdrop of a spate of high‑profile defections to the APC over the past year, significantly reshaping Nigeria’s political map.

In Delta State, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori left the Peoples Democratic Party for the APC in April 2025, bringing with him his deputy and senior officials.

In June 2025, Umo Eno, governor of Akwa Ibom State, formally defected from the PDP to the APC after months of speculation, triggering realignments within the state’s political structure.

Also in 2025, Peter Mbah of Enugu State switched allegiance from the PDP to the APC in October.

More recently, Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers State, defected from the PDP to the APC in December 2025, weeks after a mass defection of state lawmakers and amid ongoing political realignment in the South‑South region.

Another governor, Douye Diri of Bayelsa State, resigned from the PDP and joined the APC in November 2025, with scores of state assembly members also crossing to the ruling party.

Abdullahi also described the APC as the “greatest threat to Nigerian democracy”, accusing the party of systematically undermining opposition and creating a false sense of inevitability around the 2027 elections. He said the APC was deliberately projecting the 2027 election as already decided.

“That’s exactly the mindset of inevitability that the ruling party would like to create, to make everyone think that no matter what we do, they are going to win anyway,” he said.

Recalling Nigeria’s political history, Abdullahi noted that in 2007, the PDP controlled 31 out of 36 states, yet the elections were widely discredited.

“APC is now repeating the same pattern, manipulating structures to maintain power while limiting democratic choice,” he added.

He questioned whether the APC had succeeded in convincing Nigerians of its capacity to govern, despite uniting governors under its banner.

“But what about the people? Have they been able, or will they be able, to convince the people that they actually represent the best option for them? That is the task that they will not be able to do because every Nigerian today understands what is going on. No amount of whitewashing can remove the reality that Nigerians are confronted with,” Abdullahi said.

Highlighting ADC’s growth, Abdullahi said the party had established headquarters in 28 states within five months, despite having no political officeholders.

“We have come on board as an opposition party propelled only by the enthusiasm of Nigerians who are committed to seeing democracy survive in the country,” he said.

He also accused the APC of undermining other opposition parties, including the PDP and Labour Party, using legal and political means.

“The destabilisation of PDP, the destabilisation of the Labour Party, the destabilisation of SDP is what has led the politicians in these respective parties to find refuge in the African Democratic Congress,” he said, adding that APC’s actions risk leading Nigeria towards a one-party state.

Abdullahi criticised what he called the APC’s selective approach to democracy. “They are quick to intervene in the Benin Republic to use the military to restore democracy, but back home in Nigeria, they are using legalism and the judiciary to undermine democracy. Because what is democracy? Democracy is about choice, about competition, about a level playing ground for all the political parties, but they are actively undermining opposition political parties in Nigeria while posturing as a saviour of democracy in the region,” he said.

He warned against attempts to challenge ADC’s registration with the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“Even as we sit here, they still continue to bring one obstacle or one legal issue or the other, even against the African Democratic Congress. And you wonder what exactly do they want to achieve? It is very clear. They know that on the record of what they have done in the last three years or so, no Nigerian who has suffered what they have suffered will support the ruling party. APC’s actions are aimed at presenting Nigerians with no credible choice in 2027,” Abdullahi said.

“APC today represents the greatest threat to Nigerian democracy,” he concluded.

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