Activist and former presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore has raised concerns over recent reports that 31 state governors have allegedly joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), suggesting that such large-scale political shifts may reflect strategic calculations rather than genuine public endorsement.
The comments were made in a video broadcast by Symfoni TV, where Sowore dissected the implications of the purported defections on Nigeria’s political landscape.
Speaking directly about the phenomenon, Sowore argued that the consolidation of governors under a single party does not automatically indicate widespread public approval of the ruling administration.
“If genuinely 31 governors moved over to me because I was this genius who had revamped the economy and fixed the country, I would go to sleep on election day. I wouldn’t even campaign, but he knows, of course, it’s all manufactured,” he said, implicitly referring to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Sowore’s remarks come at a critical moment as political alignments and endorsements are intensifying ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Analysts note that defections and party realignments are a recurring feature of Nigeria’s political system, often reflecting behind-the-scenes negotiations, power consolidation, and strategic positioning rather than voter-driven support.
“The scale of these reported shifts should not be taken at face value,” Sowore added. “They are more about political optics, influence, and control than about measurable performance or public sentiment.” His assessment underscores long-standing debates in Nigerian politics regarding the motivations behind party switching and the reliability of political endorsements as indicators of electoral strength.
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