Politics
Dalung: Defectors Are Repentant Sinners
Former Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, has described the gale of defections sweeping across the Nigeria political landscape with the majority moving into the ruling All Progressives Party (APC) as the gathering of sinners. He said it is not a sign that the ruling party has performed well, rather they are sinners, who are seeking forgiveness for their numerous sins.
He noted that they are only fulfilling what a former Governor of Edo State, Adams Oshiomhole said regarding corrupt politicians. Oshiomhole was quoted to have said that no matter the gravity of a politician’s sins, he would be forgiven as soon as he joins the APC.
“These are people who have committed heinous crimes against the Nigerian people and they are jumping into the APC ship for the forgiveness of their sins. Not that they believe in Tinubu, no; they do not. They are only assembling so that their sins will be forgiven.
“So it is a conclave of political cardinals who have committed grave sins against the Nigerian people and a political party has offered them the opportunity of forgiveness on entrance,” he said.
He also added that the defections would not add any value to President Bola Tinubu instead the defectors would create problems in the party in future. He said: You know there is an adage in Hausa that if animals celebrate the death of a butcher, has the knife also died? If beneficiaries of the mandate of the people are defecting, have the people also defected?
“So there is no value added to Tinubu except that he has compounded the situation in his party and there will be an implosion.”
He also dismissed concern in certain quarters that the entrance of politicians like the former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai into the Social Democratic Party (SDP) could be a potential threat to the presidential ambition of Prince Adewole Adebayo, the party’s 2023 presidential candidate.
He said Adebayo’s political charisma, image and personality within the Nigerian political environment has presented him as an obvious force to deal with in 2027.
He emphasized that apart from that, he is the only presidential candidate who has consistently maintained a media campaign against the failed and unpopular policies of the current government. “So, Nigerians are very conversant with Adebayo’s voice, charisma and leadership qualities. So, whether you mobilize the whole politicians into the SDP, you must resolve the question of Adebayo in the SDP as a presidential candidate before any other person.
“This is because nobody has promoted the SDP in Nigeria like Adebayo. After Chief MKO Abiola, you rank Adebayo in the contemporary SDP as the highest. So, the concern as some people are expressing is normal. Human beings entertain such fears but the reality is that the name SDP since 2023 has been sustained unilaterally by the doggedness, commitment, dedication and selflessness of Prince Adebayo.
“So, he is a force to beat in whatever political arrangement that the SDP will put on ground to produce a presidential candidate. He is a patriot who did not join politics for himself; he has surrendered the rest of his life to the service of humanity and he did that at his 50th birthday.
“So, he is not into politics because it must be him; he is into politics to ensure that good governance, justice, the rule of law, equity and fairness is reintroduced and reinforced in the governance structure of Nigeria. So, even if he lost in a free, fair, and transparent electoral process, he will still be a team player in the struggle for a better Nigeria,” he stated.
Also reacting to whether the SDP is still in the coalition talks, he said: “This question will better be answered by the leadership of the party because I can only speak from the perspective as somebody who is aware of the development in the coalition. I am aware that the coalition delegation met with the SDP leadership but I am yet to get the details of that discussion. I think that will be made public in due course but like I said earlier, I may not be able to say much about that.”
Thesun.ng
The All Progressives Congress has drafted former Osun State Deputy Governor, Iyiola Omisore and Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara into its 276-member National Campaign Council for the August 15, 2026, Osun State governorship election.
The campaign council, unveiled on Sunday by the APC National Working Committee, will be chaired by Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Hope Uzodimma, and will be inaugurated on Tuesday, July 28, at the Transcorp Hilton Event Centre, Abuja.
The announcement was contained in a notice signed by the APC National Secretary, Ajibola Basiru.
The inclusion of Omisore is expected to put to rest recent speculation about his commitment to the APC following the defection of some of his close political associates to the Accord to support Governor Ademola Adeleke’s re-election bid.
The rumours gathered momentum after Omisore was absent from the APC governorship campaign flag-off in Ile-Ife, fuelling claims that he had distanced himself from the party.
According to the notice, Uzodimma will serve as chairman of the council, while Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives Tajudeen Abbas will serve as co-chairmen.
The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Political and Other Matters, Ibrahim Masari, was named deputy chairman, while Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin will serve as secretary.
The statement read, “Uzodimma will chair the National Campaign Council, while Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni; Senate President Godswill Akpabio; and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, will serve as co-chairmen.
“Senior Special Assistant to the President on Political and Other Matters, Ibrahim Masari, will serve as Deputy Chairman, while the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, will function as Secretary of the council.
“The council comprises governors, members of the National Working Committee, principal officers of the National Assembly, ministers, federal and state lawmakers, party leaders and other stakeholders drawn from across the country.”
Basiru added that specialised sub-committees had also been constituted to coordinate the campaign.
They include Election Planning and Management, Finance and Resource Mobilisation, Contact, Grassroots Engagement and Mobilisation, Logistics and Campaign Management, Monitoring and Compliance, Protocol, Media and Publicity, Security, Youth Mobilisation, Special Interest (Persons with Disabilities) Mobilisation, Women’s Mobilisation and Secretariat.
“The inauguration of the National Campaign Council and its Sub-Committees is scheduled to be held on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, at the Transcorp Hilton Event Centre, Abuja at 12:00 Noon,” the notice added.
The APC is fielding former Commissioner for Finance, Bola Oyebamiji, popularly known as AMBO, who emerged as the party’s consensus governorship candidate after consultations among key stakeholders.
He will face the incumbent governor, Adeleke, in what is expected to be a keenly contested election widely seen as a political test ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Reacting to Omisore’s appointment, the Chairman of the Omisore Campaign Organisation, Mr Ajibola Famurewa, dismissed suggestions that the former deputy governor was drifting away from the APC, saying he would accept the assignment as a loyal party member.
“I have not spoken with Otunba Omisore, and I have not seen the list too. If Otunba Omisore’s name is there, as a former deputy governor, senator, and national secretary of the party, it is the tradition to list people of that calibre in the campaign council, especially from Osun State.
“That is the tradition of the party. On whether he will accept or not, as a party man, he will. It depends on the assignment given to him within the council.
“You talked about him not attending the flag-off; was he properly informed? He was not properly invited to that flag-off,” Famurewa said.
He maintained that Omisore and several other APC leaders who missed the campaign flag-off received their invitations barely 24 hours before the event, making it difficult for them to attend.
The factional National Chairman of the Accord Party, Prof. Chris Imumolen, has reaffirmed the party’s support for President Bola Tinubu’s administration and endorsed his re-election bid, while insisting that the decision does not amount to a merger with the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Imumolen also announced that Accord had resolved to support the APC governorship candidate in Osun State, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji, ahead of the forthcoming governorship election.
The Accord chairman said the party’s support for Tinubu was based on its assessment of the administration’s economic reforms and efforts towards national development.
“Our support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is based on our conviction that Nigeria’s progress requires continuity in policies that strengthen our economy, deepen reforms, and promote national stability.
“We have therefore endorsed his re-election because we believe it is in the best interest of our country,” Imumolen said.
The party chairman, however, cautioned against interpreting the endorsement as evidence that Accord had surrendered its political identity or merged with another party.
“Let me state this clearly: the party’s endorsement of President Tinubu does not amount to the dissolution of the Accord Party or its merger with any political platform.
“Accord remains an independent political party with its own constitution, leadership, ideology, and vision for Nigeria,” he said.
Imumolen maintained that the party would continue to take independent positions on political and governance issues despite its support for Tinubu. On the Osun State governorship election, the party said it had taken a strategic decision to adopt Oyebamiji, the APC candidate. Imumolen said the decision followed consultations and an assessment of the political situation in the state.
“After careful consultations and a thorough assessment of the political realities in Osun State, the Accord Party has resolved to adopt and support the APC governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji.
“This strategic decision is driven solely by our commitment to ensuring competent leadership and sustainable development for the people of Osun State,” he stated.
Accord urged members of the public, the media and political stakeholders to distinguish between its endorsement of Tinubu at the national level and its alliance with the APC candidate in Osun State. The party said suggestions that it had ceased to operate independently were inaccurate and misleading.
It added that it remained committed to democratic principles, national unity and issue-based politics, stressing that its political decisions would continue to be guided by what it considered the best interests of Nigerians.
Naija News reports that the Accord Party faction loyal to Governor Ademola Adeleke had earlier endorsed President Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election.
The party chairman, however, cautioned against interpreting the endorsement as evidence that Accord had surrendered its political identity or merged with another party.
“Let me state this clearly: the party’s endorsement of President Tinubu does not amount to the dissolution of the Accord Party or its merger with any political platform.
“Accord remains an independent political party with its own constitution, leadership, ideology, and vision for Nigeria,” he said.
Imumolen maintained that the party would continue to take independent positions on political and governance issues despite its support for Tinubu. On the Osun State governorship election, the party said it had taken a strategic decision to adopt Oyebamiji, the APC candidate.
Imumolen said the decision followed consultations and an assessment of the political situation in the state.
After careful consultations and a thorough assessment of the political realities in Osun State, the Accord Party has resolved to adopt and support the APC governorship candidate, Asiwaju Munirudeen Bola Oyebamiji.
“This strategic decision is driven solely by our commitment to ensuring competent leadership and sustainable development for the people of Osun State,” he stated.
Accord urged members of the public, the media and political stakeholders to distinguish between its endorsement of Tinubu at the national level and its alliance with the APC candidate in Osun State.
The party said suggestions that it had ceased to operate independently were inaccurate and misleading.
It added that it remained committed to democratic principles, national unity and issue-based politics, stressing that its political decisions would continue to be guided by what it considered the best interests of Nigerians.
Daily voice reports that the Accord Party faction loyal to Governor Ademola Adeleke had earlier endorsed President Tinubu for the 2027 presidential election.
All issues surrounding the governorship primaries in states where the contests were contentious have been resolved by the All Progressives Congress (APC), it was learnt last night.
All but one of the party’s governorship candidates have been uploaded to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) portal.
Governorship elections will be conducted in 28 states. The APC has uploaded the particulars of its governorship candidates and their running mates in 27 states.
The only state left is in the Northeast, where the choice of a running mate is expected to be decided at a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja today.
In the state, the serving deputy governor has completed two terms and needs to be replaced.
SEE FULL LIST BELOW
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