By Kolawole Ojebisi
A former National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, has said that the defection of prominent politicans, from the opposition parties, particularly the PDP, to the All Progressives Congress (APC), does not guarantee victory to the ruling party in the 2027 presidential election.
Ologbodiyan maintained that the APC will still have over 200 million Nigerians to contend with at the polls in its bid to retain power in 2027, the gale of defections to its ranks notwithstanding.
Ologbodiyan spoke on Channels TV’s programme “Politics Today” on Monday evening.
“But you know one thing, at the end of it all, it is going to be about the Nigerians’ position.
“You may pack all the 36 governors and put them in one boardroom and say they should declare for you. Have you packed the over 200 million Nigerians into the same boardroom? The answer is no,” he said.
Ologbodiyan’s remarks come on heels of the recent defections to the APC, climaxing with the literal collapse of the PDP structure in Delta State following the decision of the incumbent governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, his immediate predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa and a host of other party stalwarts to dump the PDP for the APC.
This is as more governors in the opposition parties have hinted about their likelihood of joining the fold of the APC.
Most of the governors are those serving their first term, who will be seeking to return to office in 2027 and may need the backing of the center to do so.
Opposition governors seeking second term include those of Kano, Osun, Plateau, Enugu, Rivers, Taraba, Akwa Ibom and Zamfara.
Akwa-Ibom’s Umo Eno, in April, hinted at possible defection with his “Ibom airline” analogy.
Abia State governor, Alex Otti, has denied giving defection a thought, stressing that he is closer to the federal seat of power more than the defectors.
