•As Energy, strain and survival collide
By Luminous Jannamike
At 7:21 a.m. on Ahmadu Bello Manner in Abuja, a battered Toyota Carina II taxi crawled towards the Federal Secretariat. The radio crackled by way of the visitors hum because the morning information broke: one other governor had defected.
Contained in the automobile, civil servants stared forward in silence. Nobody appeared shocked.
For Musa, a senior aide to considered one of Nigeria’s remaining opposition governors, the announcement carried weight far past politics.
Every defection quietly shifts the road between security and vulnerability, leaving aides, commissioners and political appointees to face an uncomfortable actuality, their futures now hinge on a single query: does their principal keep exterior federal energy, or cross over and undergo the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)?
Throughout many states and the FCT, political defections have turn out to be nearly atypical; no prolonged speeches, no ideological battles. Most occur quietly, sealed with a letter, a closed-door assembly on the State Home Aso Villa, and a brief publish on social media.
For the reason that begin of the 12 months, this regular trickle has tilted the stability of energy. The APC now successfully controls about 29 states, boosted by a wave of defections, together with Kano’s current shift. What stays is a small, and steadily shrinking, circle of governors nonetheless standing exterior the ruling occasion’s embrace.
A Narrowing Circle
These nonetheless standing are Bala Mohammed of Bauchi, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Dauda Lawal of Zamfara, Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, Alex Otti of Abia, Ademola Adeleke of Osun and Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra.
Their continued resistance comes amid political isolation, inside occasion turmoil and mounting strain from the centre, elevating questions on how lengthy opposition politics can survive on the state degree.
Bala Mohammed: Opposition Beneath Siege
In Bauchi, opposition has turn out to be private. Governor Bala Mohammed, chairman of the Peoples Democratic Social gathering (PDP) Governors’ Discussion board, now governs underneath heightened federal scrutiny. Investigators lately filed expenses in opposition to the state’s finance commissioner and different officers, developments allies describe as sustained strain on the administration.
Regardless of this, Mohammed has remained within the PDP, positioning himself as a rallying level for what stays of organised opposition amongst governors, at the same time as scrutiny of his administration intensifies.
Seyi Makinde: Energy Constructed at Residence
In Oyo State, Governor Seyi Makinde’s refusal to defect is rooted in political self-sufficiency. Investments in infrastructure, training and healthcare have strengthened his native legitimacy, lowering the inducement to hunt safety by way of realignment.
Sources say Makinde’s electoral energy makes defection a legal responsibility slightly than a bonus, significantly in a state the place efficiency has translated into uncommon cross-party assist.
Dauda Lawal: A Mandate at Threat
Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal governs in a state formed by insecurity and deep public mistrust of political elites. His victory, breaking APC dominance in 2023, was broadly interpreted as a rejection of entrenched political preparations.
Analysts notice that defection would probably be seen by supporters as a betrayal of the mandate that introduced him into workplace, particularly in communities that considered his election as a political rupture slightly than routine succession.
Ahmadu Fintiri: Stability Over Alignment
In Adamawa, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri has chosen warning over confrontation, prioritising agriculture, training and political stability.
Aides describe his continued loyalty to the PDP as a calculated effort to protect stability in a politically delicate state, the place abrupt realignments may fracture fragile alliances.
Alex Otti: Governance as Protect
In Abia, Governor Alex Otti’s insulation comes from governance. Financial reforms that restored common wage funds and revived investor confidence have earned his administration credibility past occasion traces. That efficiency has diminished the urgency to align with the ruling occasion, strengthening Otti’s political place forward of 2027.
Ademola Adeleke: Outdoors Energy, Nonetheless Standing
Osun Governor Ademola Adeleke has remained exterior the APC regardless of months of hypothesis final 12 months that he would defect. Elected in 2022 after defeating the ruling occasion, Adeleke has leaned on populist enchantment, entrenched native constructions and visual governance initiatives to maintain assist.
Though he resigned from the PDP in late 2025 following inside disputes, he has stopped in need of becoming a member of the APC, leaving Osun exterior the ruling occasion’s management.
Chukwuma Soludo: Cooperation With out Defection
In Anambra, Governor Chukwuma Soludo has drawn a transparent distinction between cooperation and defection. Whereas publicly supporting features of federal financial coverage, he has remained loyal to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), framing the occasion as an expression of regional political identification.
Public Voices, Competing Readings
Public response to the shrinking opposition has been divided. “Let me inform you an open secret: among the remaining non-APC governors are APC in blood. Adeleke was blocked by the Osun State APC. Soludo has declared assist for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027. Alex Otti has not hidden his admiration for Tinubu. Seyi was a part of the PDP G-5 governors that ‘labored’ for Tinubu in 2023,” stated Ahmed Kayode, an archivist.
The PDP Governors’ Discussion board rejects that interpretation. Shehu Ahmed, its Head of Media, stated: “Bala Mohammed has remained fixed in opposition to the sustained effrontery of the present APC authorities in opposition to democratic order… In December final 12 months, the EFCC went after his administration by submitting in opposition to the Bauchi State Finance Commissioner, Yakubu Adamu and three different officers, terrorism financing and cash laundering expenses.”
Others dismiss defection narratives as political mischief. Adelani Adekanmbi, an expert athlete.l, stated: “Should you take heed to APC propagandists with out questioning their claims, you could be misled. However it’s all lies. The APC and its supporters shall be put to disgrace in Yorubaland come 2027.”
Holding the Line
Because the APC retains welcoming new political converts, aides like Musa return to their desks every morning uncertain of what headline the day will deliver.
For now, Nigeria’s remaining opposition governors stick with it underneath intense strain. Their survival depends upon efficiency, grassroots legitimacy, and the political worth of defecting. In a season outlined by fixed motion, they’re selecting, for now, to face their floor.
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