The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has said more state governors and lawmakers will defect to the ruling party ahead of the 2027 general election to bolster President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
Yilwatda made the remark during the 12th Expanded Stakeholders’ Meeting of the APC in Bayelsa State, where the party formally endorsed Tinubu as its sole presidential candidate for 2027.
Represented by the Deputy National Chairman (South), Chief Emma Eneukwu, Yilwatda said the president’s performance in governance was attracting defections from opposition parties.
“More governors and lawmakers are still on their way to our party because of the calibre, integrity, and achievements of the president. Our doors are wide open to accommodate those willing to join hands with us to move Nigeria forward,” he said.
He pointed to the recent defections of Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC as evidence of Tinubu’s growing influence.
Yilwatda urged party members in Bayelsa to remain united and focused to ensure an overwhelming victory in 2027.
“Other parties may make noise, but when you have a lion, it does not bother about barking dogs—it focuses on its mission. That is what President Tinubu is doing: taking the bull by the horns where others lacked the political will,” he said.
The APC chairman added that the South-South had demonstrated “political maturity” by aligning with the ruling party, stressing that leaders across the South-South and South-East were leaving their old parties to support the president’s vision.
“From the South-South to the South-East, leaders are making realistic decisions. They are leaving their parties to back the president because they have seen his determination to take Nigeria to greater heights,” he said.
