In light of the steady stream of politicians defecting from opposition parties to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the presidency has attributed the trend to President Bola Tinubu’s leadership style and governance approach.
Naturenex reports that presidential aides have insisted that Tinubu’s leadership has brought stability to the APC, turning it into what they describe as the most reliable political platform ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Addressing the situation, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, clarified in an interview with Punch on Saturday that the defections were not being engineered by Tinubu himself.
“He is not masterminding anybody to leave their party. He has made the party attractive to others who are willing to join. What he has done is to make the right decisions, even though tough, some of them painfully initially,” Ajayi stated.
Using a metaphor to describe the APC’s growing appeal, he added, “A beautiful woman will always attract suitors. So, if you have made your house good, people whose houses are tattered and whose houses have no roof will naturally come to you, where they can get shelter.”
Ajayi further explained that the APC remains open to receiving politicians seeking refuge. “If people say they want to come and take shelter, we won’t chase them away, and that is politics. In politics, you add to your number. You don’t remove your number. Politics is about getting more people on your side, not sending people away from your side,” he added.
Another presidency official, who spoke under anonymity, argued that the defections were largely caused by the disintegration of opposition parties, particularly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). According to the source, there have been no special incentives from the presidency to lure politicians to the APC.
“The opposition is in tatters. They have no semblance of organisation, and for any politician, what he cares about is how to win his election, how to remain relevant, how to be in the scheme of things. I don’t think the President has met with any of them privately,” the official disclosed.
Recalling Tinubu’s own years in the opposition, a third presidency source pointed out that he spent 16 years building and sustaining a viable alternative force in Nigerian politics.
“People should not forget that the President himself was the leader of the opposition for 16 years. He remained the only surviving governor of his party, Alliance for Democracy.
“He stayed there, strengthening the party, and he galvanised the opposition to form what is today the APC and made it so strong that they could unseat a ruling party. They defeated the sitting president, which was unprecedented in Nigerian history,” the official recounted.
Commenting on the present political climate, the source suggested that the blame for current defections lies with the opposition’s failure to organize itself.
“So, if those who say they want to take power from him cannot organise themselves, do you blame him for that?” he questioned.
