The African Democratic Congress has rubbished suggestions that the All Progressives Congress will benefit from defections of its members, insisting the ruling party faces certain defeat in the 2027 general elections.
The opposition party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, stated this position whilst responding to recent claims by APC National Chairman, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, who announced at a stakeholders’ meeting in Jos that “key ADC figures” would join the ruling party next week.
Abdullahi described the APC’s recruitment drive as evidence of growing desperation within the ruling party, which he said has lost public confidence.
“This declaration underscores a deep realisation by the ruling party that it cannot be saved even if all the governors in Nigeria defected to it. This is why, despite all the governors and senators they have been bragging about, the APC is still desperate for ADC members,” he said.
The ADC spokesman accused the ruling party of destroying the lives and livelihoods of ordinary Nigerians, arguing that widespread hardship has made the APC deeply unpopular across the country.
“The truth remains that the APC realises that it has become the most hated party in Nigeria. No amount of defections can save it from Nigerians whose lives and livelihoods the ruling party has destroyed since it came to power,” Abdullahi stated.
The party characterised recent high-profile defections to the APC as a betrayal of the Nigerian people by political elites prioritising self-preservation over public welfare.
“The recent gale of high-profile defections to the ruling party is seen by ordinary Nigerians as a gang-up against the people by a ruling elite who have abandoned citizens in poverty whilst pursuing self-preservation,” the statement read.
Abdullahi challenged the APC chairman to publicly identify the supposed “key figures” expected to defect from the ADC, suggesting the vague reference revealed the ruling party’s desperation.
“We wonder if the APC has run out of governors to seduce that it has now resorted to shadowy references to unnamed ADC members. If these individuals are so ‘key,’ let the chairman of the party mention their names,” he said.
Drawing parallels between the APC and the former ruling Peoples Democratic Party, Abdullahi warned that the current administration was repeating mistakes that led to the PDP’s downfall.
“There is nothing new in the game the APC is playing. It is the same ruinous pattern the PDP followed at the height of its power. The APC will also learn the bitter lesson that real democratic power lies with the people, not a few power merchants,” the ADC concluded.
The exchange comes amid ongoing political realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, with several opposition figures having recently joined the ruling party.
