Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has said that the most meaningful defection Nigeria needs is not of politicians moving between parties but of hunger and poverty leaving the country.
In his bi-monthly newsletter released on Thursday, the governor criticised the political attention surrounding recent defections of some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors to the All Progressives Congress (APC), urging Nigerians to focus on the issues that truly affect their daily lives.
“I am sure many of you have been following the recent defections of politicians, especially the governors who have left the PDP for the APC and other parties,” Makinde said. “With these defections, political pundits have been busy reading meanings into every handshake and silence. I have watched as our national conversation once again turns to who is moving rather than what is moving.”
The governor stated that the real defection that should concern Nigerians is that of hunger, explaining that many families are struggling to survive under current economic conditions.
“When I was asked about this wave of cross-carpeting in a recent press conference, I said I would only be moved when hunger defects into the APC. I meant every word of it,” he said. “Families are being forced to make impossible choices daily. These are the real issues, not political realignments.”
Makinde lamented the growing inequality and hardship across the country, warning that “it is hunger, not partisanship, that fuels despair.” He argued that politicians must pay attention to the worsening economic realities instead of political manoeuvring ahead of the 2027 general election.
According to him, “Only the Nigerian people, not defections or political manoeuvres, will decide the outcome of the 2027 general election.”
He further said the PDP must rebuild the people’s trust by offering practical solutions to the hardship Nigerians are facing. “No matter what the analysts predict, it is the Nigerian people who will decide the 2027 elections. Our job in the PDP is to prove we can deliver relief where others have brought pain,” he stated.
Makinde reminded Nigerians of better days, saying, “Nigerians remember when salaries had value, when businesses could plan, and when hope was not an illusion. Our task now is to rebuild that trust and restore the PDP as a platform that prioritises people over politics.”
He said the forthcoming PDP national convention in Ibadan would not just be a party gathering but an opportunity to “reset and reassert our values.”
Makinde also encouraged citizens not to lose faith, expressing optimism that the current hardship would not last forever. “Let others defect for convenience; let us stand firm for conscience. When hunger finally defects, prosperity will return, and so will our pride as a people,” he added.
He concluded with a call for people-centred governance, saying: “Economic decisions are not about numbers. Every decision that takes money out of people’s pockets moves them closer to poverty. My belief is that our politics must serve humanity.”
