In a significant political manoeuvre, President Bola Tinubu has again won over the support and loyalty of a prominent and outspoken opponent of his administration.
Segun Sowunmi, a former spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 elections, recently met with Mr Tinubu in the president’s Lagos home.
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The president was in Lagos to celebrate the Eid-el-Kabir and attend other state functions. He has since returned to Abuja after the Sallah break.
President Tinubu is a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) while Mr Sowunmi belongs to the PDP.
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On Sunday, Mr Sowunmi, a vocal critic of the president until recently, wrote on his social media handle that his meeting with the president was “engaging and nostalgic.”
Why I went to Tinubu
Also, in an interview on “Politics Today,” a programme on Channels TV, the PDP chieftain explained that he met President Tinubu for three reasons.
The first is because of the “faltering democracy”, which he believed is not his (Tinubu) fault.
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He also said he visited because he was becoming a “little bit uncomfortable with the demonising of all policies by those who don’t understand what it takes to design futuristic ideas that could work.”
The third is that he wanted to engage with Mr Tinubu.
Mr Sowunmi, an indigene of Ogun State, who has been a member of the PDP since its inception, said he could work with President Tinubu and would leave the PDP if the president offered him an appointment.
Asked if his move had betrayed Atiku, the politician said the former vice president was running a coalition he (Sowunmi) was not part of.
He added that he was unaware that Atiku would run for president in 2027.
“Is he (Atiku) running for president now? He’s running a coalition that everybody knows I am not part of. Who would even in your wildest dreams think I don’t have my individuality because of what? Do you know how long I have been at the party?” Mr Sowunmi asked.
I will support Tinubu in 2027
In another interview with Arise TV on Tuesday, he said, “I am going to support Tinubu in 2027 by God and everything that is in me. I will leave and join his party (APC).
“I don’t believe in the nonsense that says you are in one party while supporting someone else.
“I don’t have time for pretence. If I am not there, I am not there. I have been in PDP for 28 years, and most of them don’t even have that record of 28 days,” he said.
Public reactions
However, Mr Sowunmi’s sudden romance with President Tinubu has sparked reactions.
For instance, on a TVC programme on Tuesday, Yeni Kuti, daughter of the legendary Afrobeat musician, Fela Kuti, asked him when he was joining the APC.
“You’ve had a lot of criticism for the president, now your tune seems to have changed (after the visit). So, when is your own move? When are you leaving the PDP to join the APC?” she asked.
Mr Sowunmi merely responded, “Although I cannot see who is asking those questions, I didn’t come to your programme so you can try to be cheeky with me. Stop that!
Not first
Mr Sowunmi is not the first of Atiku’s aides to be won over by President Tinubu.
Daniel Bwala, a consistent critic of the president and spokesperson for Atiku Abubakar’s Campaign Organisation during the 2023 election, met a few times with him (president).
By November 2024, Mr Bwala, who had belonged to the APC before leaving over the Muslim-Muslim ticket controversy, had joined the Tinubu administration as his special adviser on media and public communications before he was later moved to policy communications.
Meanwhile, another former critic of the president, Reno Omokri, a former presidential aide, has been swerving in support of the president.
Mr Omokri was an aide to former President Goodluck Jonathan while the latter was in power. The former Nigerian leader was a member of the PDP.
Defections to Tinubu’s APC
Lately, there have been high-profile defections from the opposition parties, particularly the PDP, Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). This development triggered a fear of Nigeria sliding into a one-party state. The president has repeatedly allayed the fears.
Some PDP governors, namely Sheriff Oborevwori of Edo State and Umo Eno from Akwa-Ibom, have joined the ruling APC.
READ ALSO: Nigeria will not become one-party state; Tinubu
Also, 10 lawmakers from Akwa-Abom elected on the PDP and Young Peoples Party (YPP) platforms have moved with Governor Eno to the APC.
Several National Assembly members have also dumped their parties for the ruling party.
Following the defections, the number of APC senators has increased to 68 from 59.
Two senators — Neda Imaseun (LP, Edo South) and Ahmed Wadada (SDP, Nasarawa West) may join the train. The number may rise to 70 if the duo pick the APC membership cards.
In the lower chamber, the ruling party now has 207 out of its 360 members.
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