Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has criticised the wave of defections from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing it as a distraction from Nigeria’s worsening economic hardship.
In his recent monthly newsletter, Makinde said while political actors are busy switching parties, millions of Nigerians are struggling to survive amid hunger, poverty and inequality.
“Political pundits are reading meanings into every handshake and silence,” Makinde wrote. “But for me, the only defection that truly matters is the one that has not happened yet, the defection of hunger. I will only be moved when hunger defects into the APC.”
His comments follow the recent defection of Enugu Governor Peter Mbah and Bayelsa’s Douye Diri to the APC. Makinde said such moves have done nothing to ease Nigerians’ suffering.
“Families are making impossible choices daily. These are the real issues, not political realignments. It is hunger, not partisanship, that fuels frustration and hopelessness,” he stated.
The governor warned that any government policy that takes money out of people’s pockets pushes them further into poverty. “Policies divorced from the realities of hunger, unemployment, and loss of dignity are not policies worth defending,” he said.
Makinde recalled that the PDP once oversaw a period of relative prosperity, saying Nigerians still remember when salaries had value and hope was real. He urged the party to use its November national convention to “reset and reassert” its values, prioritising people over politics.
“No matter how many defections are engineered, Nigerians will decide the outcome of the 2027 elections,” he added. “Our task is to deliver relief where others have brought pain. The hunger gripping our nation will not last if we refuse to normalise it.”
