APC says defections reflect confidence in President Tinubu’s reforms, insisting the party cannot block politicians from joining its ranks
The All Progressives Congress has said it cannot prevent politicians from defecting to the ruling party, describing the growing wave of defections as a vote of confidence in the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
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The position was stated on Tuesday by the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka.
Morka spoke amid public debate over the increasing number of governors leaving opposition parties for the APC, including the recent defection of Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf.
According to Morka, politicians joining the APC were aligning themselves with what he described as a resurging Nigeria under President Tinubu’s leadership.
“What you see is governors who have decided to join our party to identify with this resurging Nigeria that this President is clearly positioning Nigeria to be,” Morka said.
He stressed that the ruling party remained open to new members and would not impose restrictions on politicians seeking to join its fold.
“We are happy, we are excited about people who join our party. We cannot be gatekeepers to filter out people who want to join our camp,” Morka said.
“We don’t do that because it is undemocratic.”
Addressing concerns that the increasing defections could lead to a one-party state, the APC spokesperson dismissed the fears as misplaced.
Morka recalled that Nigeria had previously witnessed similar political dominance without undermining democratic principles, citing the era when the Peoples Democratic Party controlled the majority of governorship seats nationwide.
“The Peoples Democratic Party at some point in our history governed Nigeria with about the same number of governors,” he said.
He added that such dominance did not translate into the collapse of democracy at the time and should not be interpreted differently now.
“I was very active in the political world at that time and there was no spectre anywhere about a one-party state,” Morka said.
“We should not equate people joining our party with that mode.”
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The APC said the ongoing defections underscored the appeal of the Tinubu administration’s reform agenda and the shifting dynamics within Nigeria’s political landscape.
