The All Progressives Congress, APC, has dismissed claims that President Bola Tinubu or the ruling party enticed opposition governors to defect, insisting that recent political shifts are voluntary decisions made by leaders seeking to align with the administration’s agenda.
Felix Morka, the APC National Publicity Secretary, stated this on Monday while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
Speaking on whether the APC and Tinubu actively lured opposition governors, Morka firmly refuted the allegation.
“Nobody is baiting anyone. These eminent leaders in our country who are joining our party do so on their own volition. No one is baiting anyone. Look, Kano is one of Nigeria’s most important states. For a governor in Kano to decide to join our party, you can’t speak of bait. He made that decision voluntarily,” he said.
According to Morka, the defections reflect confidence in the Tinubu administration and the APC’s political direction rather than inducement.
“There’s something the governors who are joining our party are seeing. They want to identify with this president. They want to be part of the success story of Mr. President and the promise of a resurgent Nigeria. That is what is going on. So I don’t think we should conclude by suggesting that anyone is being baited,” he added.
Morka’s statement comes after the Kano State governor, Abba Yusuf, defected from the New Nigeria Peoples Party back to the APC.
Speaking on whether Yusuf automatically becomes the APC leader in Kano following his defection, Morka maintained the party’s state-level leadership principle, emphasizing a collaborative approach:
“As a matter of principle, in our states, the governors are leaders of our party. We encourage a collegiate model of leadership. The governor may be the political head, but there are other critical and eminent leaders in all of our states whose role and involvement in decision-making is critical to the success, not just of our party, but of the government where we hold office.”
Yusuf formally rejoined APC on Monday, after resigning from the NNPP on January 23, citing persistent internal crises, ongoing legal battles, and the need to safeguard the developmental interests of Kano State.
In his resignation letter to the chairman of the Diso-Chiranchi Ward of the NNPP in the Gwale Local Government Area, the governor explained that the decision was taken after wide consultation and careful reflection on the state’s future.
“Leadership must rise above comfort, sentiment, or personal selfishness. That is why, after careful reflection and consultation, I relinquished my membership in NNPP and joined the party that is better for Kano,” Yusuf said.
He stressed that the decision was motivated by the need to align Kano with the Federal Government, foster unity, and move away from decades of isolationist politics.
“We are choosing progress over personal desires. Our loyalty is to Kano first,” he added, urging former political allies, including Rabiu Kwankwaso, not to perceive the defection as personal but as a step towards state development and political stability.
The governor’s return to the ruling party was accompanied by 22 state lawmakers, eight members of the House of Representatives, and all 44 local government chairmen in Kano, signaling a massive political realignment in the state.
