Major opposition parties in the country are expecting mass defections from theAll Progressives Congress (APC) from April.

According to a report by The Sun, the defections will be fallout from primaries to be conducted across the 109 senatorial districts, 360 federal constituencies, and 990 seats across the 36 State Houses of Assembly in the country.

With the elimination of indirect primaries from the new Electoral Act, lawmakers seeking return tickets are worried that their state governors will work against their emergence.

Already, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released a revised election timetable ahead of the 2027 polls, as well as the conduct of primaries by the various political parties.

The aforementioned publication gathered from some members of the state and national assemblies, who plan to return to the parliament, that recent defections by governors of the opposition to the ruling APC would pose serious threats to them.

The lawmakers, who do not want to be mentioned, said the governors who joined the APC were insisting on producing candidates ahead of the general elections next year, without any recourse to those they met in the party.

One of the lawmakers from Delta State told the publication that part of the negotiations and agreements reached by the governors with the APC and President Bola Tinubu was the freedom to allow them to handpick flag bearers for next year’s general elections.

He said some of the governors were unwilling to accommodate the APC members they met in the party when they defected, but insisted on bringing in fresh candidates, predominantly from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He said that, to avoid being caught unawares, the aggrieved members of the APC have opened talks with the PDP, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and the Labour Party (LP) to accommodate them and offer them return tickets to parliament.

“Governors control the structures of political parties in the states. Today, almost all the PDP governors have moved to the APC. They came with their own structures and allies. Unfortunately, the governors already reached agreements with the leadership of the APC and President Tinubu to allow them produce candidates for next year’s general elections.

“Some of us know that we will not get the tickets. Our only option is to open negotiations with the PDP, ADC and LP. Hopefully, we will use our popularity to campaign and hope that we win our re-elections next year,”one of the lawmakers revealed.

Determined to reduce the mass defections, the APC is planning to conduct its National and State Houses of Assembly primaries towards the close of the window permitted by INEC.

A source in the APC said if the plan scales through, aspirants who will be denied tickets will be unable to defect and secure tickets from the opposition parties before the end of May this year.

Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, on Friday held a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The meeting came amid growing rumours of possible political realignment by some opposition governors.

However, the discussion centered on security challenges in Bauchi State, especially the worsening situation in Alkaleri Local Government Area.

Governor Mohammed briefed the President on renewed bandit attacks that have forced several communities to flee their homes.

He raised concern over the activities of armed groups operating from forest areas in Gwana, Kafin Duguri, Mansur, Yalau, Futuk, and Digare.

According to the governor, thousands of armed bandits are believed to have taken control of ungoverned forest zones.

He said the attackers now launch regular raids, recruit local youths and former illegal miners, and push families to seek safety in nearby states, including Gombe.

The security situation worsened on February 22, when bandits attacked a Joint Task Force base in Gwana.

Two soldiers and a vigilante member were killed during the assault.

Several residents were abducted.
Security forces later neutralised some of the attackers during counter operations.

Governor Mohammed disclosed that he has visited the affected communities repeatedly to assess the damage and encourage local vigilantes.

He praised residents for standing their ground but stressed that the scale of the crisis requires stronger federal intervention.

He requested more military deployment, improved equipment for security agencies, and firm directives from national security chiefs.

The governor warned that without urgent action, displacement and loss of lives could increase.

President Tinubu, in response, assured him of federal support to complement Bauchi State’s efforts.

He directed security agencies to strengthen operations in the troubled areas and prevent further attacks.

The President also pledged that the federal government would not allow criminal groups to dominate any part of the country.

Addressing political speculation surrounding the visit, Mohammed said the meeting was strictly about security and governance.

He dismissed claims of a possible defection to the ruling party.

The Bauchi governor reaffirmed his loyalty to the People’s Democratic Party.
He added that while individual politicians may choose their paths, his focus remains on protecting lives and restoring peace in his state.

ADC South-South leaders endorsed former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, for the party’s 2027 presidential ticket Former APC National Chairman and ADC chieftain, John Odigie-Oyegun, disclosed that the endorsement followed a unanimous decision at the party’s South-South consultative meeting in Benin City Former Rivers state Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, formally informed regional leaders of his presidential ambition and secured their collective backing.

Leaders of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) from the South-South zone have formally endorsed Rotimi Amaechi for the party’s 2027 presidential ticket.

The endorsement was disclosed on Friday, February 27, by John Odigie-Oyegun, a chieftain of the ADC, at the party’s South-South leaders’ consultative meeting held in Benin City, Edo state.

Odigie-Oyegun said Amaechi used the forum to officially inform leaders of the zone of his intention to seek the presidency, noting that the response from stakeholders was unanimous. “We are glad that our son, Rotimi Amaechi, took advantage of this meeting to brief us formally of his intention to run for the presidency of our great nation,” he said.

According to Odigie-Oyegun, the former Rivers state governor was commended for engaging regional leaders before building personal political structures, a gesture he described as respectful and inclusive.

“We were very pleased. We thanked him for the respect he has for the leaders of the zone for not letting loose in this zone, for setting up his own personal structures, for ensuring like every good son that he tells his people what he has in mind before he embarks on it. “We are pleased and I cannot report that a unanimous decision was taken to give him all the support that he needs in pursuit of his ambition.

“Lastly, we are going to meet regularly. This group of leaders are going to meet regularly to learn from each other’s experience. So that as usual, the South-South zone will become an example to be emulated by other zone in the nation.”

Amaechi had earlier indicated his willingness to serve a single term if he secures the ADC presidential ticket and wins the 2027 election. He has also maintained that the party should field a Southern candidate in keeping with the principle of power rotation. He has argued that the South should be allowed to complete an eight-year tenure before power shifts back to the North, warning that presenting a northern candidate could weaken the ADC’s appeal in southern regions.

The South-South endorsement is seen as a boost to Amaechi’s ambition and a move that could complicate calculations for other southern aspirants within the opposition space, including figures such as Peter Obi. Amaechi previously contested the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2022, where he lost to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu after finishing second in the primary election.

As preparations for 2027 intensify, the ADC has also raised concerns over the timetable released by Independent National Electoral Commission, which directs political parties to hold primaries between April 23 and May 30, 2026.

The party, through its leadership, has rejected the schedule, arguing that it places opposition parties at a disadvantage. ADC spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi said the timeline creates an “almost impossible hurdle” that could hinder smaller parties from fielding candidates, citing provisions of the Electoral Act which require strict compliance with membership register submissions.

With regional endorsements now emerging, negotiations and realignments within the ADC are expected to intensify as the party edges closer to its presidential primaries.