By Jude Opara
As political permutations continue to heighten ahead of the 2027 general elections, some former candidates of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) for the House of Representatives and State Houses of Assembly have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), with a promise to mobilise two million votes for President Bola Tinubu.
The defectors, who were received by the National Chairman of the party, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, at the party’s National Secretariait in Abuja, said they were motivated by national unity, political stability and their confidence in the Renewed Hope Agenda of the Tinubu administration.
Speaking on behalf of the Prof. Murtala Yusuf said the group which comprised nine House of Representatives candidates and three candidates for state Houses of Assembly, who had willingly decided to abandon their individual political ambitions to support the APC.
Yusuf said the decision was never influenced by money or any personal gains, but by what he described as the patriotic need to promote national unity, cohesion and to ensure continuity of the Tinubu administration n.
He said; “Your Excellency, we are not here for any financial gain. We are not here for any pecuniary interest. We are not here for any monetary consideration. But we are here for the sake of the unity of Nigeria.
“We are grassroots politicians with strong followership, significant political influence, and credible chances of winning elections in our various constituencies.
“We are not here as desperate or hungry politicians, but as people who command genuine respect and influence among our people”.
He maintained that the former candidates had made considerable sacrifices by relinquishing their individual electoral ambitions and resigning from their parties ahead of the 2027 elections.
According to the spokesman, their decision was informed by the need to reciprocate the political support President Tinubu extended to former President Muhammadu Buhari and other candidates from the North in previous elections.
“Our decision is informed by history and the need for unity. The late President Muhammadu Buhari contested for the presidency three times without success until he finally got the critical support of the people of the South West under the leadership of our present President, His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
This is the moment. This is the payback time,” he said.
Yusuf argued that in the buildup to the next general election, the principle of reciprocity, national unity and fairness should inform political choices.
“We believe that in the spirit of reciprocity, national unity, togetherness and justice, President Tinubu deserves the opportunity to complete his constitutionally permitted eight-year tenure, subject, of course, to the democratic process,” he said.
However, the group acknowledged that the administration’s economic reforms had presented challenges but insisted that the policies deserved an objective assessment and sufficient time to deliver the desired dividends.
“We must not allow political differences to overshadow our collective interest in building a stronger, more prosperous and united Nigeria,” the spokesman added.
The delegation subsequently pledged to mobilise two million valid votes for Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election, saying its members would contribute their grassroots structures and political influence towards the president’s re-election.
“We are prepared to contribute our political structures, grassroots networks and collective influence towards his re-election.
“We are confident that our combined political strength can help deliver a substantial number of votes from our constituencies. We are therefore pledging our commitment and support towards a target of two million valid votes,” he said.
He urged the APC leadership to convey the delegation’s commitment to the President, adding that the decision was bigger than the individual ambitions of its members.
Earlier, the delegation’s coordinator, Dr Princess Aslami Malilo, said the latest development followed an earlier defection of 11 opposition candidates she also facilitated their joining the ruling party.
Malilo said the group had continued to attract opposition politicians to the ruling party, arguing that the development reflected confidence in Tinubu’s leadership and the APC’s political direction.
The latest defectors were introduced at the event as coming from Kaduna, Kebbi, Jigawa, Kano and Katsina states.
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