Ijeomah Arodiogbu, national vice-chairman (south-east) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has said that the governors of Bayelsa, Rivers, Plateau, and Kano states will join the ruling party within the next two months.
In an interview with Punch newspaper, Arodiogbu stated that the defections are not speculative but “imminent.”
“We are talking about governors from Bayelsa, Rivers, Plateau, Kano, either Abia or Enugu. In the next two months, you will see them join us officially,” he said.
He also mentioned that the APC is not ruling out the possibility of Enugu governor Peter Mbah and his Abia counterpart Alex Otti aligning with the party. “Of course, Bayelsa is in the picture, that’s why I mentioned it. On Adeleke (Osun governor), I can’t give a definitive answer, but I know he has made moves,” Arodiogbu added.
The APC chieftain dismissed efforts by opposition politicians to form a coalition ahead of the 2027 general election, describing such moves as superficial and lacking substance. “This idea of forming a so-called opposition coalition is nothing but a media stunt,” he said. “These politicians just want to keep their names in the headlines. But Nigerians are aligning with a party that is delivering — and that is the APC.”
He also denied reports that the presidency had struck a deal with Anambra State Governor Chukwuma Soludo ahead of the November 2025 governorship election. Arodiogbu said President Bola Tinubu has directed APC leaders to focus on delivering victory for Nicholas Ukachukwu, the party’s candidate in the state.
“There is no arrangement to back Soludo. President Tinubu has not endorsed him. In fact, after he visited Anambra to inaugurate the Emeka Anyaoku Centre, we presented our candidate Ukachukwu to the president. He told us to go and win the state,” he said.
“Soludo is no longer popular. He has spent two years in public fights with traditional rulers, church leaders, and market unions. Now, he’s scrambling for endorsements from the same people he antagonised.”
In recent weeks, two governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State and Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, joined the APC. The wave of defections has intensified concerns about the future of multi-party democracy in Nigeria, with growing debate over whether the country is edging toward a one-party system.
