Governors defections won’t decide 2027 polls, CERON warns APC

2026-02-02 - 15:58

...urges party to address worsening poverty in the country By Peter Duru, Makurdi The Campaign for Equal Rights and Opportunities for all Nigerians (CERON) has declared that the recent wave of defections by state governors to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will not determine the outcome of the 2027 general elections. The group cautioned the APC against being “overly confident,” insisting that the growing list of defecting governors should not be mistaken for guaranteed electoral victory in the next polls. CERON made its position known in a statement issued Monday by its Secretary, Mr. Francis Odiir, amid ongoing political realignments across the country. According to Odiir, the current movement of governors may ultimately have little or no impact on how Nigerians vote in 2027, especially if the elections are free and fair. “It is always normal for Nigerian politicians to jump ship midway into their tenure, usually for selfish reasons, as we are seeing today,” Odiir said. He added that “politicians are underestimating the evolving political awareness of the electorate, they seem not to be aware that the level of consciousness in the country at the moment is unimaginable.” Odiir argued that the defections were largely a byproduct of the crisis rocking the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), rather than a genuine endorsement of the APC by the electorate and the defectors. “The truth of the matter is that the movement of the governors, which is a function of the crisis in the PDP, does not mean that these governors love the APC, far from it. They are only running from a crumbling house to seek safe haven somewhere in an uncertain time, which is the APC. “If the PDP were not in crisis would the governor have abandon the party? Certainly not, they would have remained in their party. Those behind the crisis in parties know what they are doing but Nigerians are also not fools. “The earlier the defecting governors realised that joining the APC does not guarantee victory at the polls the better for them. The only thing that guarantees victory is purposeful leadership that comes with better living condition for suffering Nigerians. “If you go round Nigeria you will realise the level of poverty in the country. People can hardly feed. People cannot buy simple medications for their health challenge, it is as bad as that. “People are simply not happy, there is anxiety in the land ahead of the 2027 elections due to widespread public dissatisfaction with some current government policies. And the ruling APC must act fast to address these issues particularly the new tax law which the masses are not happy about coupled with the economic hardship in the country,” Odiir stated. According to CERON, the strategy of consolidating power by absorbing governors from other parties poses a threat to Nigeria’s multiparty democracy. Odiir questioned how the ruling party intends to translate “elite political defections” into popular support at the grassroots level. “What remains to be seen is how they intend to compel Nigerians to support their new party,” he said. He stressed that “public support can only be earned through policies that directly address economic hardship, and until concrete steps are taken to ease the suffering of citizens, political defections alone will certainly not decide the outcome of the 2027 elections,” he added.