Opposition coalition unshaken by Governors’ defection to APC — Lukman

The proposed opposition coalition spearheaded by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has declared that the wave of defections by opposition governors to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will not derail its mission to provide Nigerians with an alternative platform ahead of the 2027 elections.

Reacting to the defection of Delta State Governor and the entire Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) structure in the state to the APC on Wednesday, coalition leader Salihu Moh. Lukman said the move was anticipated and poses no threat to the coalition’s objective.

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Lukman, a former member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC, told journalists in Abuja that the coalition remains focused on its goal of rebuilding a credible political alternative.

He stated, “We have gone far, and what has happened in terms of some governors and some leaders moving into APC is not going to distract us at all. Not long from now, the full details of the coalition will be unveiled to Nigerians. And the structure and the strategy in terms of how the election will be contested will be clarified.”

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Describing the defections as unsurprising, Lukman said the internal disarray within the PDP had made such moves predictable.

“First, I think anybody who will say this is not unexpected, will only be deceiving himself. The signals have been there, that some governors are going to decamp. It’s not just one but some governors.

“You also know that the situation in PDP, the party is clearly a shadow of its own self. Although we acknowledge there are people, there are leaders in PDP who are optimistic they can rescue the party. But if you remember, when the governors issued a statement against the Coalition, what was our response? Our response was that many of them are working for Asiwaju, and shortly after that, you saw the statement from Akwa Ibom state governor, and of course the Delta governor. It’s not only him, if you check the comments, there are many more that are being expected. And on two sides, on the side of people who genuinely worry for the country, are expressing fear about a one-party state.”

Lukman emphasized that the coalition would not welcome defectors blindly, but would assess each based on their political track record.

“I can tell you for certain, we are not going to produce a new political structure that will be blind or ignorant of the character of politicians. Anybody coming in will be related to, based on their own past trajectory. So, if truly we want to rescue the country, we are not talking of rescuing the country as just defeating Asiwaju and APC.

“We want to correct all the mistakes and shortcomings from the Buhari administration to the Asiwaju administration, and we want to restore the aspiration of Nigerians to produce a stronger and greater country, produce leaders that they will be proud of. That is what the coalition is all about. And if anybody sees it differently, we are going to correct all of that,” he said.

The coalition insists it will remain committed to its objective of rebuilding trust and offering Nigerians a viable democratic choice.

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