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Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, has expressed concern about the increasing number of defections into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), warning that the party is becoming overcrowded and burdened by politicians crossing over from opposition parties.
Mr Ndume, a member of the APC, compared the current situation in the ruling party to an overloaded ship at risk of capsizing.
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The senator made these remarks while speaking at the late Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe Annual Award Lecture, held in Abuja on Sunday.
“I have warned that the APC is becoming overloaded. And when you overload a ship, especially with mostly empty cargo, it risks capsizing. If it capsizes, the owner of the ship will face a bigger problem.
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Despite belonging to the ruling party, Mr Ndume, a frequent critic of President Bola Tinubu, said he was not aware of any deliberate effort by the president or APC leadership to woo defectors. Instead, he said the defection wave was a result of crises within opposition parties.
“That is the situation we find ourselves in today. The PDP is uncomfortable playing the role of minority or opposition. I am not aware of anyone, especially governors or leaders, whom the president or any of us in the APC leadership has gone out of our way to persuade to join us. But when your brother is displaced by a crisis in his party and he knocks on your door, will you shut him out or welcome him? That is what is happening,” he said.
Although he did not directly declare that defecting governors bring no value to the APC, the outspoken senator suggested that many contribute little after joining, despite being granted leadership status in their states upon crossing over.
He likened the situation to a church member leaving one congregation for another and immediately wanting to become the pastor in charge, or a new convert to Islam insisting on becoming the Imam. Mr Ndume maintained that such entitlement breeds confusion within the political system.
“However, once some of them join the APC, they contribute nothing. They remain silent, doing nothing, even though the party has been magnanimous enough to allow governors who defect to automatically become leaders of the party in their states.
“It is like an ordinary church member, or even a pastor, leaving one church to join another, and immediately wanting to become the pastor in charge. Or someone converting into Islam and insisting on becoming the Imam. Naturally, this creates problems. That is the confusion affecting our political landscape,” he added.
The senator also appealed to Nigerians to unite behind President Tinubu’s administration.
“We must remember a common saying: charity begins at home. Let us be united. Please, Mr Chairman, let us be united behind our leader, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. With unity, we can move this country forward,” he appealed.
Since President Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, Nigeria has witnessed a surge in defections by opposition governors, National Assembly members and state lawmakers to the APC, particularly from the PDP, Labour Party (LP) and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
At some point, the PDP accused President Tinubu and the APC of attempting to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, an allegation the president denied, insisting instead that more Nigerians were voluntarily embracing the ruling party.
After the 2023 governorship elections, the PDP controlled 12 states. However, the party now holds only eight governors. Three governors, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Peter Mbah of Enugu and Douye Diri of Bayelsa, defected to the APC, while the party also lost Edo State to the APC in the 2024 off-cycle election. Governor Agbu Kefas is set to defect to the ruling party on Tuesday.
The defections have not been limited to governors. Opposition lawmakers in the National Assembly have also steadily crossed over to the ruling party. When the current Senate was inaugurated in June 2023, the APC held a slim majority with 59 seats. The opposition had 41 seats, with the PDP holding 36, LP 7, NNPP and SDP 2 each, while APGA and YPP had one senator each, completing the 109-member chamber.
However, as of today, the APC has expanded its majority to 77 senators. The PDP has declined to 23 seats, LP has reduced to 4, while both the NNPP and SDP now hold just one seat each.
Why I often criticise Tinubu
Explaining his often-critical stance toward the Tinubu administration, Mr Ndume said his comments always generate from a desire to prevent failure, not to undermine the president.
“I call Asiwaju a leader because of his leadership qualities. Some may be surprised because I am often critical of the administration. I speak out because I fear that people may think we are failing. Yet we have a leader who is willing to listen,” he said.
He added that the shortcomings of the government arise not from a lack of leadership at the top but from the burden placed on one man.
“As the Honourable Justice rightly pointed out, 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 added.
Mr Ndume reiterated his earlier warning about the presence of kakistocrats and kleptocrats within Nigeria’s governance system, insisting that they must be removed for progress to occur.
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“When one person is left to run the entire field alone, nothing substantial can be achieved…I once said, and many accused me of being abusive or overly critical, that the government is overloaded with kakistocrats and kleptocrats. We must clear them out so we can move forward.”
Earlier, Uche Azikiwe, widow of Nigeria’s first president, Nnamdi Azikiwe, urged present-day leaders to emulate the selfless service of First Republic politicians.
“They are long gone, but their legacies live on. Azikiwe lived for the unity of Nigeria, and I am happy a lot of people acknowledged his contributions. Leaders of the First Republic were selfless, not leaders we have now who are bothered about their pockets. I am always happy when people say good things about Zik and what he did,” she said.
