The defection of two Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors to the All Progressives Congress (APC) within 48 hours has generated varied reactions from Nigerians. While some stakeholders said the governors’ actions do not bode well for Nigeria’s democracy, others have described the moves as politically expedient.
Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah formally defected from the PDP to the APC on Tuesday, while his Bayelsa State counterpart, Senator Douye Diri, dumped the party on Wednesday.
While Mbah blamed the protracted crisis in the PDP for his departure, Diri has yet to state his reasons for resigning from the former ruling party.
Earlier this year, Akwa Ibom State Governor Umo Eno and his Delta State counterpart, Hon Sheriff Oborevwori, also left the party, citing lingering crises within the PDP.
Accompanying the governors to the ruling party are many federal and state lawmakers who have also abandoned the PDP.
With the defection of four PDP governors, the party’s control of states has dropped to eight, while the number of APC-controlled states has swelled to 25.
Meanwhile, more PDP governors are expected to defect to the APC, including Agbu Kefas of Taraba State.
At the height of the party’s dominance between 2007 and 2011, the PDP had no fewer than 31 governors.
Governor Diri, 19 Lawmakers Resign from PDP, to Formally Join APC on 18 October
Governor Diri announced his resignation from the PDP, ending weeks of speculation over his political future.
The governor made this known at Wednesday’s State Executive Council (SEC) meeting at the Government House in Yenagoa.
The development, which surprised many, was made public by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, in a Facebook post on his verified social media handle.
Announcing his resignation, Diri said, “I want to resign my membership in the Peoples Democratic Party, and I’m not going to resign alone. As you can see, I am here with Mr Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and all the members of our party who will resign with me.
“Some are not here because they are on official assignment. Today, I have formally resigned from my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party for self-evident reasons.”
The governor thanked friends and supporters who have stood by him over the years.
“I want to thank all of you again, and together, we will continue to build a strong and viable Bayelsa State and a strong and viable country by extension,” he said.
Also, 17 members of the State House of Assembly from the PDP, including the Speaker, Mr Abraham Ingobere, and the Deputy Speaker, Hon Michael Ogbara, alongside two members from the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), all resigned their membership of the PDP.
Members of the State Executive Council have also resigned from the PDP.
The mass defection marks one of the biggest political shake-ups in the state’s history, raising questions about the future of the PDP in Bayelsa, which has been its stronghold since 1999.
Meanwhile, an aide to the governor who spoke anonymously revealed that two serving commissioners were preparing to defect to the APC.
He said, “They have already removed PDP flags at the Government House, and I think the APC flag will soon be raised.”
He further disclosed that Governor Diri and other officials who resigned from the PDP would be formally accepted into the APC on Saturday, 18 October 2025.
Although the official venue has not been announced, the aide suggested that the event would occur at the Oxbow Lake Pavilion in Yenagoa.
The source also noted that Deputy Governor Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo was absent during the State Executive Council meeting at which Governor Diri announced his resignation from the PDP.
He described the deputy governor’s absence as a clear sign that he would not follow the governor to the APC.
Similarly, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce has also defected from the PDP to the APC. In a Facebook post, he said, “I am joining the All Progressives Congress (APC), not for politics, but for progress — because I believe that Bola Tinubu’s leadership, guided by courage and intellect, will deliver the Nigeria we have all dreamed of.”
PDP Governors Running Away from the Mess They Created – Dickson
Hours after Governor Diri left the PDP, his predecessor Senator Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West) accused him and other defectors of running away from the mess they created.
The senator, who admitted that Governor Diri consulted him several times about his plan to dump the PDP, said he was never convinced, as there was no compelling reason — particularly for a second-term governor — to leave the party.
According to him, Nigeria, being a plural society, deserves a functional and vibrant multiparty democracy, not a one-party state that breeds dictatorship and authoritarianism.
He said: “I am where I have always been. I don’t believe Nigeria should be a one-party state. As a soldier of democracy, I’m used to the ups and downs of political life. I remain as constant as the northern star — steadfast in the Peoples Democratic Party — and working with my colleagues to ensure that the problems in the party are resolved.”
Speaking specifically on the situation in Bayelsa, Dickson said: “Since I left office and handed over to those who were once members of my team, I have not played the role of a political godfather. I made no demands, no requests, no pressure — only made myself available for consultation and advice.”
On the nomination of Professor Joash Amupitan as Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman, Dickson said President Tinubu made an excellent choice and pledged to fully support his confirmation during Senate screening.
Wike Defends Political Alignment, Says Govs Who Criticised Him Now In APC
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, used the flag-off ceremony of a major road project to launch another defence of his political alignment with the APC and to shower encomiums on President Bola Tinubu, whose policies, he said, have rescued states from financial ruin.
The event, which marked the commencement of the construction of the Main Carriageways of the Outer Southern Expressway (OSEX) from Ring Road I to Ring Road II, was punctuated by a political speech in which Minister Wike addressed his critics head-on.
Wike, while responding to those who had accused him of working for the APC to destabilise his party, the PDP, said they should now commend him for working for the party.
“I have been watching on daily television and social media. People who said I want to destabilise the party, that I’m working for APC, all of them are now in APC.
“This means, if it is true, they should commend me for working for where they are heading to. So, I should be commended for doing a good job for them. I have told people that politics is for mature people. In politics, you have to be very careful,” he said.
The minister also praised President Tinubu, attributing the current financial viability of states and the FCT to the President’s “decisive” decision to end fuel subsidy.
Recalling his time as a governor, Wike said he was constantly running around banks to look for money for projects.
No Politician Can Challenge Tinubu In 2027 – Presidency
The Presidency has reaffirmed confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s re-election prospects, declaring that no politician currently has the capacity to challenge him in the 2027 general elections.
Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, stated this on Tuesday in Abuja during a strategic engagement meeting with over 100 pro-Tinubu support groups from across the country.
Speaking at the event tagged “Meet and Greet with the Spokesman,” Bwala said the interaction was aimed at strengthening coordination between the Presidency and grassroots support networks ahead of the 2027 elections.
“No politician in Nigeria today has the capacity to challenge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We are moving from renewed hope to recovery, and that recovery must be felt in the lives of ordinary Nigerians,” Bwala said.
Governors’ Defections Part of Conspiracy for One-Party State – ADC
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said that the recent defections of some state governors to the ruling party have vindicated the position of the opposition coalition that the APC’s plan has been to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.
In a statement signed by the ADC’s national publicity secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said that with their recent defections, the governors of Enugu and Bayelsa have betrayed their long-suffering people and joined the gang-up against Nigerians.
The party insisted that the opposition is not bothered by what it described as “political apostasy” by the governors because the 2027 elections will be a contest between the people of Nigeria and the ruling party that has sent the majority into abject poverty and made life unbearable for most.
The party said the recent defections by the governors of Enugu and Bayelsa States to the ruling APC validated its long-standing warning that President Bola Tinubu is determined to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, no matter the cost to democracy or national stability.
Obi slams defection politics, rejects South-East ‘capture’
Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has dismissed fears of Nigeria sliding into a one-party state, saying no political party can “capture” any region simply because a governor defects to it.
Obi stated this in Abuja while reacting to the recent defection of Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah and his Bayelsa counterpart, Douye Diri, to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The former Anambra State governor, who has consistently championed issue-based politics, said the idea that a state can be “captured” by a political party through the defection of its leader belongs to Nigeria’s military past.
Obi dismissed the notion that the South-East could be “captured” politically, insisting that leadership in a democracy is about persuasion, not coercion.
Defections Undermine Citizens’ Trust In Political Process – Yiaga Africa
In its reaction, a civil society organisation, Yiaga Africa has said the wave of defections in the country undermines citizens’ trust in the political process and further erodes the credibility of the party system.
The executive director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, said in an interview with LEADERSHIP that the defection of opposition governors to the ruling party raises serious concerns about the state of internal party democracy, ideological coherence, and the health of Nigeria’s multi-party system.
“The defection of opposition governors to the ruling party raises serious concerns about internal party democracy, ideological coherence, and the health of Nigeria’s multi-party system.
“Political parties are the vehicles of democracy, and when politicians switch parties without clear ideological or policy reasons, it deepens public cynicism about politics and weakens democratic accountability.
Defections are not healthy for our democracy, says ex-minister
Reacting, former Minister of Aviation, Dr Hassan Hyat, said the defections do not bode well for Nigeria’s democracy.
The former chairman of the PDP state chairmen lambasted the PDP governors for defecting to the APC, saying they have betrayed their oath of office.
While he stressed that the defections are a bad omen for democracy in Nigeria, he said the governors, by defecting, have abandoned the covenant they swore to the people.
The former Kaduna State chairman of PDP told LEADERSHIP that posterity will not be kind to those responsible for the crisis in PDP, adding that future generations will remember their actions.
However, he accused the APC government of being responsible for the crisis in the opposition parties, adding that it is coercing opposition leaders to join it.
He said, “If the President Bola Tinubu-led government says it is popular, then why is it instigating the crisis in opposition parties and forcing people to join his party?”
Defection Won’t Guarantee Victory In 2027 — Peter Ameh
For his part, former National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) and General Secretary of the Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP), Chief Peter Ameh, emphasised the recent defections of the governors of Enugu and Bayelsa States to the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the move does not guarantee political survival in the 2027 general elections.
Ameh described the defections as desperation-driven by fear, not faith in governance. He noted that such moves reflect a growing lack of confidence among political elites in the democratic process and the electoral commission’s ability to conduct free and fair elections.
“No, it won’t be a walkover for the Enugu and Bayelsa governors or any other defector. I am not surprised by the defections or the speculation surrounding others planning to cross over to the APC. What surprises me is how many of our political elites still believe that joining the ruling party is the only path to survival. This is because they have failed to serve the people genuinely,” he said.
According to Ameh, the 2023 general elections marked a watershed moment in Nigeria’s democratic evolution. He cited several examples, including the upset in Southern Kaduna, where a motorcycle rider defeated more established political players to win a House of Representatives seat.
Defections Driven By Desperation, Not Service — Analysts
A political science lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Dr Christian Okeke, described the recent wave of defections by governors from the PDP to the ruling APC as acts of desperation for political survival and self-interest, rather than genuine service to the people.
According to him, the defections are fast becoming an embarrassment and a sad reflection of Nigeria’s democratic development, as they suggest that some political leaders are more concerned with securing re-election than addressing the pressing needs of their citizens.
“It is unfortunate that governors are already thinking about the next election rather than focusing on solving the problems confronting their people,” he stated. “Ordinarily, they should have been preoccupied with delivering results and allowing their performance to speak for them during the next polls.”
