The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has effectively secured a stranglehold on Nigeria’s political landscape following the high-profile defections of two major opposition governors and the commencement of legislative proceedings to repeal and re-enact the Electoral Act ahead of the 2027 general elections.
In a tectonic shift that has left the opposition reeling, Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has officially dumped the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) to join the APC. The move, which insiders describe as the final nail in the coffin of the opposition’s stronghold in the North-West, was formalized earlier this week. It marks a dramatic turnaround for the governor, whose electoral victory was hotly contested by the APC just two years ago. The APC’s national leadership celebrated the defection as a “homecoming” that reunites the state with the governing party’s progressive agenda.
The political realignment did not stop in the North-West. Plateau State Governor, Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, has also collapsed his structure into the ruling party, effectively handing the North-Central zone entirely to the APC. Speaking at a grand reception in Jos, Vice President Kashim Shettima described Mutfwang’s entry as an affirmation that the APC is the only true national platform open to all Nigerians. Shettima noted that the defection was not merely political but a strategic move to align the state with federal development goals, promising that Plateau would prosper under the unified administrative front.
Simultaneously, the National Assembly has accelerated its efforts to reshape the legal framework for the next election cycle. On Thursday, the Senate commenced formal consideration of the Electoral Act (Repeal and Re-enactment) Bill 2026. The bill, which has already passed a second reading in the House of Representatives, is being championed by Senate President Godswill Akpabio as a necessary tool to “fortify” the electoral process. However, opposition parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), have raised alarms, warning that the “hurried” passage of the bill could be a smokescreen to introduce clauses that weaken electronic transmission of results—a contentious issue in the 2023 polls.
The wave of defections has extended to the families of prominent opposition figures as well. Abba Atiku, the son of former Vice President and perennial PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, shocked the political establishment by defecting to the APC in Yola. Citing President Bola Tinubu’s “bold economic reforms” and “clarity of purpose,” the younger Atiku declared that the President remains the only leader capable of navigating the nation through its current economic tempests, a statement that struck a heavy blow to his father’s camp which has been trying to galvanize a new coalition against the ruling party.
As the APC celebrates its expanding territories, political analysts warn that Nigeria is drifting dangerously towards a one-party state. With the PDP and Labour Party struggling to stem the tide of departures, the fragmented opposition faces an uphill battle to present a credible challenge in 2027, leaving the electorate with fewer distinct choices as the lines between the parties increasingly blur.
