Premium News
Fresh details have emerged revealing how President Bola Tinubu struck a secret deal with some Southern governors to conduct all elections in one day in November 2026.
SaharaReporters learnt that it is part of a broader plot to tighten control over Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the next general polls.
Multiple credible sources told SaharaReporters that the ongoing wave of defections by governors, lawmakers, and top politicians to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was not coincidental but part of an understanding reached during a closed-door meeting between Tinubu and several Southern governors.
Since Tinubu took office, several governors from Southern Nigeria have defected to the ruling APC.
For instance, in April 2025, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, along with his deputy and commissioners, left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC.
Delta State, a PDP stronghold since 1999, had never seen such a shift in its top leadership. The move was described by President Tinubu as a “political tsunami” and was celebrated by APC leaders as a major victory.
Oborevwori’s predecessor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, also defected to the APC, further deepening the party’s grip on the state.
In Enugu State, Governor Peter Mbah made headlines when he defected to the APC in October 2025.
Like Delta, Enugu had been under PDP control since the return to civilian rule in 1999.
Bayelsa State also joined the trend, with its governor recently resigning from the PDP.
According to insiders, Tinubu assured the governors seeking re-election that his government would guarantee their return to office if they dumped their parties and joined the APC.
In exchange, the governors reportedly proposed that all elections, that is, presidential, governorship, National Assembly, and state assembly, be held on the same day or that the presidential election be conducted last to prevent post-election betrayal.
Sources said Tinubu agreed to the one-day election proposal.
“The mass exodus of politicians to Tinubu’s APC party was hatched after a secret meeting with Southern governors, where he promised to guarantee their re-election if they all joined the APC,” one of the sources said.
“In turn, they also proposed to him that all elections should be held in one day or that the presidential election should come last so as to forestall any betrayal. Tinubu purportedly agreed to conduct the elections in one day.”
According to sources, the President also consented to doing away with the electronic transmission of results from polling units, one of the key transparency features of the 2022 Electoral Act.
Instead, results would be transmitted only from collation centres, a move observers believe would make manipulation easier at the state level.
“They agreed to do away with electronic transmission of results, but have that done at the collation centres, not the polling units,” one of the sources said.
The idea is to have total control of the electoral process and avoid situations where early results influence later elections or spark rebellion among allies.
The plan also includes shifting the general elections from the usual February–March schedule to November 2026.
Meanwhile, the development reportedly led to a major fallout between the Tinubu administration and the former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu.
According to Presidency sources, Yakubu was offered an extension of his tenure to ensure his cooperation with the 2026 plan, but he declined.
His recognition of the takeover of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and move to register new political parties infuriated powerful figures within the President’s inner circle.
The hawks in Tinubu’s kitchen cabinet reportedly mounted intense pressure on him, leading to his abrupt exit from the Commission.
“He offended the Tinubu government with his move to register new parties and also recognising the takeover of ADC. The ferocious way the hawks in Tinubu’s kitchen cabinet came after him forced him out of INEC abruptly, leading to his resignation,” one of the sources said.
The Senate on Thursday confirmed Prof. Joash Amupitan as the new INEC Chairman after a screening session and voice vote by lawmakers.
Earlier, SaharaReporters exclusively reported that concerns within the Presidency drove Yakubu’s exit from the Commission a month before he was due to retire.
First, he was reportedly working to register new political parties before the end of his tenure, a move said to have unsettled Tinubu’s inner circle.
Second, there were fears that he could not be “trusted” to deliver outcomes favourable to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in both the new party registration process, if at all it happens, and the upcoming Anambra election.
Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma was said to have personally taken the matter to President Tinubu after returning from his recent overseas trip, warning that Yakubu’s continued stay could “destabilise” the APC’s plans for the 2027 electoral cycle.
Uzodinma also reported to Tinubu that Yakubu was planning to impose a close friend in Imo State, and part of the plan was to register a party he could use.
Following this meeting, Tinubu reportedly directed Yakubu to stop performing any official INEC duties and to proceed on terminal leave. However, a leak published by SaharaReporters reportedly forced a brief delay in the announcement of his removal.
