In recent days, we have witnessed a concerning narrative emerging from certain quarters of our political landscape suggesting that opposition in Nigeria has “evaporated” and that only the “insane” would invest in alternative political platforms. As a development/governance advocate and former parliamentarian, I find this narrative not only factually inaccurate but fundamentally dangerous to our democracy. It is an anti-democratic push designed to foist a sense of hopelessness, to convince Nigerians that their voices no longer matter. We must vigorously challenge this manufactured despondency, and I urge every citizen, particularly the youth, not to be distressed by the sight of governors decamping to the ruling party.
While the recent defections are indeed a political spectacle, they are not a determinant of our democratic destiny. For clarity; in every presidential election, governors have little role to play. The 2023 presidential election proved this beyond doubt. The All Progressives Congress, with 22 governors, won the presidency but lost in a significant number of its own states. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu lost Lagos State to #PeterObi. The PDP’s vice-presidential candidate, an incumbent Delta State governor, lost his own state to the same Peter Obi. Mr. Obi won twelve states including the Federal Capital Territory without the backing of a single governor. Atiku Abubakar of the PDP won twelve states, eight of which were under APC governors. This was in 2023, when Nigerians were not pushed to the wall by suffering as they are today.
These facts are a powerful testament to a simple truth: 2027 has nothing to do with the number of state governors a party has. It will be about the people and their daily lived experiences. The current attempts to push a narrative of total dominance are being advanced by people either in government or benefiting from it, to the detriment of the suffering, hungry, unemployed, and unprotected majority in a battered economy. It is also a reflection of the deep fear and uncertainty within the ruling APC; knowing that Nigerians are bent on exercising their right to choose in the coming elections.
I stand with the position of Mr. Peter Obi, who rightly noted that this is not a military era where you capture territories and people. In his words, “The people will ultimately decide where to go, not governors or senators, and no party will capture or win any state just because it has a governor.” This underscores that legitimate governance derives from performance, empathy and accountability, not from political maneuvering.
To the young people of Nigeria, who are the majority voters and whose future is continually mortgaged by transactional politicians, 2027 is a clarion call. The coming elections present a critical juncture to use your power and send a clear message to those abandoning their mandates midway. Let the 36 state governors and all National Assembly Members join the APC; if they fail to deliver, they will lose together and give way for a New Nigeria. 2027 will not be about political parties and big names; it will be the masses versus the establishment and its cohorts choking the people to near death.
Let no one be neither intimidated nor confused. The power ultimately resides with you, the Nigerian people. The 2023 election was a dress rehearsal; 2027 will be the main event where a people pushed to the wall peacefully, but firmly reclaim their destiny. Our democracy is worth defending, and together, we will prove that no amount of political defections or planted propaganda can evaporate the will of the people.
Rt. Hon. Linus Okorie, FCA
Former Member, House of Representatives
Governance & Development Advocate
