Politics
Tinubu Wouldn’t Have Become President By Defecting – Gov Otti
Given the exodus of Nigerian politicians to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), largely perceived to be in desperation to curry favour from President Bola Ahmed Tinbu and escape corruption charges, a governor has declared that he doesn’t have to defect to be close to the president.
Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti expressed the view on Friday during an interview with Arise Television, Lagos and waved aside the notion that joining the ruling party had become a cine-qua-non to bonding with the president and preserving personal political ambitions.
He noted that President Tinubu would not have realized his ambition of becoming Nigeria’s president by trading his political party when in minority and opposition for the ruling party.
Gov Otti maintained that, “This is democracy, and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu held on to his Alliance for Democracy, Action Congress, and Action Congress of Nigeria before becoming APC. If he had defected, he wouldn’t be president today. Sometimes, you also have to stand for something.”
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On the speculation that he planned to leave the Labour Party (LP) for the APC, Gov Otti stated that not everyone had to join the ruling party.
When asked if he needed to defect to be close to the centre like Okowa and Oborevwori, Otti said, “I am even closer to the centre than some of them.
“Governor Otti is not decamping, and my party is not on shaky ground.”
However, on the leadership crisis in the LP, Gov Otti stated that he was uncertain about his future in the party.
He said, “I am not God. I cannot say if there’ll still be an LP tomorrow.”
Interestingly, Gov Otti also pointed out that the National Chairman of LP, Julius Abure, was no longer the party’s leader, stressing that his tenure had expired.
He added that a Caretaker Committee is currently in charge of the party.
Recall that Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori and his predecessor, Ifeanyi Okowa, along with members of the Delta State House of Assembly elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PPDP), recently joined the APC.
During their official reception on Monday, Okowa, who was the PDP’s vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, said he and his successor joined the ruling party to connect Delta State to Aso Rock.
Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara State has explained that the persistent crisis and legal disputes within the Peoples Democratic Party compelled him to defect to the All Progressives Congress.
The governor’s defection was formally announced on Monday by his deputy, Mani Mummuni, after a stakeholders’ meeting held at the Government House in Gusau.
In a statement issued by the governor’s spokesperson, Sulaiman Bala Idris, the move was described as a necessary step taken in the interest of the state and supported by political stakeholders across Zamfara.
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According to the statement, Governor Lawal had remained committed to the PDP despite the ongoing leadership crisis and had made several efforts to reconcile factions within the party.
However, attempts to achieve peace and unity reportedly failed, leading to prolonged legal battles.
The development followed a judgment by the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which dismissed an appeal filed by the PDP challenging an earlier ruling of the Federal High Court.
The earlier judgment had restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising the outcome of the party’s national convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The governor was said to have informed political stakeholders during a series of meetings that he would make a final decision about his political future after the appellate court delivered its ruling.
Following the judgment, Lawal concluded that joining the APC would better position him to continue what he described as the “Zamfara Rescue and Rebuild Mission.”
His defection marks a significant shift in the political landscape of Zamfara State and could influence political alignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has handed a significant setback to Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, dismissing his appeal challenging a Federal High Court ruling that questioned his eligibility to contest the upcoming governorship election.
A three-member panel delivered a unanimous judgment on Monday, affirming that the trial court acted correctly when it allowed Dr Akindele Egbuwalo, the plaintiff, to amend his originating summons.
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Justice Uchechukwu Onyemenam, who read the lead judgment, said the governor failed to show that the High Court’s decision caused any miscarriage of justice or denied him a fair hearing.
The appeal was therefore dismissed for lacking merit, and the court awarded ₦2 million in costs against Aiyedatiwa.
The ruling reinforces the November 24, 2025, Federal High Court decision in Akure, which granted Egbuwalo permission to challenge Aiyedatiwa’s eligibility for re-election.
Earlier, the Court of Appeal also rejected an application by Aiyedatiwa to set aside a January 27, 2026, order staying proceedings in the case before the Federal High Court.
The appellate court clarified that the stay was a lawful exercise of its jurisdiction aimed at protecting the integrity of the proceedings.
The panel further emphasized that attempting to overturn its own order would be akin to sitting on appeal over its own decision.
The governor’s remaining option, the court noted, is to challenge the ruling at the Supreme Court. Another ₦2 million in costs was awarded against Aiyedatiwa.
The crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party has deepened following a ruling by the Court of Appeal in Abuja which upheld a ban on the party’s proposed national convention in Ibadan, Oyo State.
A three-man panel of the appellate court on Monday dismissed an appeal filed by a faction of the party led by former Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki, challenging the jurisdiction of the Federal High Court to hear a suit concerning the controversial convention.
The Turaki-led faction had approached the Court of Appeal after a Federal High Court barred the party from holding its planned national convention scheduled for November 14 and 15, 2025.
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The lower court also restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from recognising or validating the proposed convention.
However, delivering judgment, the appellate court ruled that the Federal High Court had the authority to entertain the case, rejecting the argument that the matter was purely an internal affair of the party.
According to the court, the appellants could not present what it described as a clear violation of the party’s constitution and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as merely an internal party issue.
The panel subsequently dismissed the appeal and awarded a cost of N2 million against the appellants.
The ruling is part of judgments delivered in nine harmonised appeals filed by the Turaki-led faction over the dispute surrounding the convention.
The latest court decision is expected to further intensify the internal wrangling within the opposition party as it continues to grapple with leadership disputes and preparations ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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