Former Senate Leader, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has raised serious concerns over the growing wave of defections from opposition parties to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), cautioning that the party could face internal collapse if the trend continues unchecked.
Speaking at the late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe Annual Award Lecture at NICON Luxury Hotel, Abuja, where he was honoured as Most Outstanding Legislator and Advocate of National Unity, Ndume described many of the defectors as “political lightweights” who contribute little value, warning that the APC is becoming “overloaded with mostly empty cargo.”
Over the past year, defections have intensified significantly, weakening opposition parties across the country.
At least five governors, including those from Delta, Bayelsa, Enugu, and Taraba (officially scheduled to defect on Tuesday), have switched allegiance to the APC. The Plateau State governor is also expected to join the ruling party soon.
The shift is equally notable in the National Assembly. In the Senate, 13 opposition lawmakers, including Ezenwa Onyewuchi, Kawu Sumaila, Ned Nwoko, Adamu Aliero, Yahaya Abdullahi, Garba Musa Maidoki, Francis Fadahunsi, Olubiyi Fadeyi, Aniekan Bassey, Samson Ekong, Sama’ila Dahuwa Samaila, Agom Jarigbe, and Kelvin Chukwu, have joined the APC.
The House of Representatives has seen even larger movements: APC now holds 249 seats, surpassing the two-thirds majority of 240, up from 175 at the start of the 10th National Assembly in June 2023.
Opposition parties now hold a combined 110 seats: PDP 69, Labour Party 19, NNPP 13, APGA 5, SDP 2, YPP 1, and ADC 1.
Ndume likened the situation to overloading a ship, saying, “When you overload a ship, especially with mostly empty cargo, it risks capsizing.”
He insisted that the surge in defections is not the result of any orchestrated effort by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu or APC leadership, but rather a form of political sheltering.
He also criticized the tendency of defectors to demand leadership positions immediately upon joining the APC, likening it to someone switching churches and insisting on becoming the pastor or converting religions and demanding the top position.
He described such actions as disruptive, noting that many defectors quickly become inactive despite being given leadership privileges.
Ndume, known for his candid critiques despite being a frontline APC lawmaker, urged Nigerians to support President Tinubu, praising his sincerity and leadership.
However, he faulted the competence of some ministers and aides, observing: “We suffer from a lack of leadership, not because the president is not leading, but because one person cannot be the captain, the player, the goalkeeper, and the striker all at once.”
He called on APC leaders to rally behind the president to restore coherence and effective governance.
Earlier in the event, Dame Uche Azikiwe, widow of Nigeria’s first President, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, praised the organizers for sustaining her husband’s legacy.
She lamented the decline of selfless leadership in contemporary politics and urged leaders to emulate the discipline and national commitment of First Republic figures like Zik, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and Sir Ahmadu Bello.
“They are long gone, but their legacies live on,” she said, noting that many current leaders focus solely on personal enrichment rather than public service.
