Ahead of the 2027 general election, some House of Representatives and state Houses of Assembly candidates of opposition parties, including the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) and African Democratic Congress (ADC), have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), pledging to mobilise two million votes for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election.
The defectors, who were received by the APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, said their decision was motivated by national unity, political stability and their confidence in the Tinubu administration’s reform agenda.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, Prof Murtala Yusuf said the group comprised nine House of Representatives candidates and three candidates for state Houses of Assembly, who had resolved to abandon their individual political ambitions in support of the APC.
He said the decision was not influenced by financial inducements or personal gains but by what he described as the need to promote national cohesion and ensure continuity in governance.
“Your Excellency, we are not here for any financial gain. We are not here for any pecuniary interest. We are not here for any monetary consideration. But we are here for the sake of the unity of Nigeria,” he said.
Describing the defectors as grassroots politicians with considerable political influence in their respective constituencies, the spokesman said they were prepared to deploy their political structures and networks to support the ruling party.
“We are grassroots politicians with strong followership, significant political influence, and credible chances of winning elections in our various constituencies.
“We are not here as desperate or hungry politicians, but as people who command genuine respect and influence among our people,” he said.
The delegation maintained that its members had made considerable sacrifices by withdrawing from their former parties and relinquishing their individual electoral ambitions ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to the spokesman, their decision was informed by the need to reciprocate the political support President Tinubu extended to former President Muhammadu Buhari and the North in previous election cycles.
He recalled that Tinubu played a significant role in the political realignment that culminated in Buhari’s emergence as president in 2015.
“Our decision is informed by history and the need for unity. The late President Muhammadu Buhari contested for the presidency three times without success until he finally got the critical support of the people of the Southwest under the leadership of our present President, His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“This is the moment. This is the payback time,” he said.
The spokesman argued that the principle of reciprocity, national unity and fairness should inform political decisions ahead of the next general election.
“We believe that in the spirit of reciprocity, national unity, togetherness and justice, President Tinubu deserves the opportunity to complete his constitutionally permitted eight-year tenure, subject, of course, to the democratic process,” he said.
The defectors also acknowledged that the administration’s economic reforms had presented challenges but maintained that the policies deserved an objective assessment and sufficient time to deliver their anticipated benefits.
“We must not allow political differences to overshadow our collective interest in building a stronger, more prosperous and united Nigeria,” the spokesman added.
The delegation subsequently pledged to mobilise two million valid votes for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, saying its members would contribute their grassroots structures and political influence towards the president’s re-election.
“We are prepared to contribute our political structures, grassroots networks and collective influence towards his re-election.
“We are confident that our combined political strength can help deliver a substantial number of votes from our constituencies. We are therefore pledging our commitment and support towards a target of two million valid votes,” he said.
He urged the APC leadership to convey the delegation’s commitment to the President, adding that the decision was bigger than the individual ambitions of its members.
“We assure him of our loyalty, cooperation and readiness to work for the success of the APC in 2027.
“This decision is bigger than our individual ambitions. It is a statement of sacrifice for national unity, stability and the future of our country,” he said.
Earlier, the delegation’s leader, Dr Princess Aslami Malilo, said the latest development followed an earlier effort through which two opposition candidates were reportedly facilitated back into the APC.
Malilo said the group had continued to attract opposition politicians to the ruling party, arguing that the development reflected confidence in Tinubu’s leadership and the APC’s political direction.
She also claimed that the group had brought 22 opposition candidates into the APC within two weeks, although the figures and the identities of all the candidates were not independently established from the remarks at the event.
Receiving the defectors, APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru, welcomed them to the party’s national secretariat, Muhammadu Buhari House, and described their decision as a contribution to national unity and political progress.
Basiru said the APC did not aspire to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, but argued that the party’s organisational structure and functioning secretariat had strengthened its appeal.
“When you see people, their message will create division where there is none, then you begin to ask whether their ambition is really what and the process,” he said, criticising opposition politicians whose rhetoric, in his view, threatened national cohesion.
The APC National Secretary also defended the Tinubu administration’s economic reforms, infrastructure projects and student-loan programme, arguing that the government deserved an opportunity to consolidate its policies.
He cited road and rail projects across the country, including infrastructure linking the North to other parts of Nigeria, as evidence of the administration’s efforts to expand economic opportunities and improve connectivity.
Basiru also referenced the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), saying the student-loan scheme had helped beneficiaries meet educational expenses and provided a measure of support to students from vulnerable backgrounds.
The APC chieftain maintained that the 2027 election should be about national development rather than the personal ambitions of political actors.
He further argued that Tinubu had contributed to political cooperation between the North and South through his support for successive presidential candidates and his role in the emergence of the APC-led administration in 2015.
The defectors, who were introduced at the event as coming from states including Kaduna, Kebbi, Jigawa, Kano and Katsina, expressed their readiness to work with the APC leadership.
Their spokesperson said the group would return to the party’s secretariat to demonstrate the outcome of its mobilisation efforts.
“We are not just here to talk. We are not just here to reside, but we are here to make an impact. I assure you, Mr Chairman, you are going to notice our impact in this country, and Mr President is going to notice our impact as well,” he said.
The event forms part of political realignments ahead of the 2027 general election, as the APC and opposition parties seek to strengthen their structures and mobilise support across the country.
