A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Ladan Salihu, has stated that governors defecting to the All Progressives Congress are attempting to secure their political future.
Salihu made the remark during an appearance on Arise Television, where he argued that some governors believe that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu can guarantee their electoral victory.
However, he warned that mass defections by governors do not necessarily translate into success at the polls, urging politicians to rely on the support base that initially brought them to power.
Salihu questioned why some governors would abandon the political parties under which they were elected to join the ruling party.
He noted that Nigeria’s political history shows that large numbers of defections do not always guarantee victory in elections.
According to him, there was a time when the Peoples Democratic Party had about 28 governors across the country, yet it still lost the presidential election to the APC.
“The history does not lie. At a point, the PDP had about 28 governors or thereabout, and that did not stop the PDP from losing the election to the APC,” he said.
Salihu further stated that politicians sometimes forget the foundation that helped them attain political power once they begin preparing for re-election.
He argued that some governors now see Tinubu as the key to their political survival rather than relying on the support of the electorate and their original political platforms.
“They have now adopted President Bola Tinubu as their own ‘tin god’. They believe that he can give them power and provide them the platform to win elections,” he said.
The ADC chieftain added that the trend reflects the nature of political calculations among some leaders as future elections approach.
