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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has stated that governors who defected from the party to the All Progressives Congress (APC) would soon regret their actions
The opposition party stated this while reacting to the APC’s decision to rule out automatic tickets for defecting governors.
The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, said the governors who dumped the party for the APC acted out of selfish interest rather than concern for their people.
Among the PDP governors who have defected to the APC are Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, Peter Mbah of Enugu State, Agbu Kefas of Taraba State, and most recently, Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State. The APC leadership in Kano State has also indicated that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s defection is imminent.
Beyond the governors, several members of the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly, former governors, ex-ministers and other party leaders have also left the PDP for the ruling party.
Speaking to The PUNCH, Ememobong said the defectors’ “regret has only just begun.”
“We have said it before that their defection is not in the interest of Nigerians or even the people they govern in their respective states. The move was purely driven by selfish motives,” he said.
Ememobong said the PDP was not surprised by the APC’s refusal to grant automatic tickets, describing the ruling party as one that does not genuinely value its members.
“We also know that the APC is not a party that truly values its members, so this outcome was expected. We saw it coming, and this is only the beginning of their regret,” he stated.
“The APC will continue to treat them as outsiders, and that is simply the reality. Over time, they will realise that their influence within the party is limited and their expectations of preferential treatment will not be met.”
He added that the defectors’ constituents might eventually begin to question their decisions.
“Their constituents may begin to see the long-term consequences of abandoning the party that initially supported them,” he said.
Also reacting, the National Publicity Secretary of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ladipo Johnson, said the development did not come as a surprise, alleging that the APC often lures politicians with promises it fails to fulfil.
He said his party had earlier warned some officials in Kano State against assuming that defection guarantees political security.
“Well, even before now, I had asked some of the governor’s aides in Kano State as well: what is your guarantee that you will secure a second-term ticket from the party you might be joining?” he said.
He noted that APC’s internal dynamics often leave new entrants politically vulnerable.
“As is usually the case in the APC, they try to lure you in, and once you are in, they do not provide the ground rules. By the time you realise, it becomes difficult to exit,” he added.
“We are not surprised because the APC will promise them many things, and they may not fulfil any of them. This situation often leaves governors frustrated, with their political expectations unmet and their ambitions constrained by party realities.”
