On Wednesday, the Edo House of Assembly’s majority leader, Donald Okugbe (PDP—Akoko-Edo II), and three other lawmakers defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The other lawmakers are Bright Iyamu (PDP – Orhionmwon South II), Richard Edosa (PDP – Oredo West), and Sunday Ojezele (LP – Esan South East).

By the defection, APC now has 13 members in the House while PDP members have 11.

The lawmakers, received at the APC Secretariat in Beni by the Acting State Chairman, Jarret Tenebe, cited deep divisions and unresolved crises within their former parties as reasons for their defection.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Edosa described the move as a “defining moment”.

He said they believed in Monday OOkpebholo’s vision and were committed to working with him to advance the state’s development.

Welcoming them into the party, Tenebe said their decision to join APC was a bold step toward a better future for Edo State.

He said they would enjoy equal rights and privileges like every other member.

The APC chairman praised their courage and noted that their defection strengthened the party’s collective resolve to improve the state’s governance, security, and economic development.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event was capped with a symbolic handing over of APC brooms to the defecting lawmakers, marking their official entry into the ruling party.

A former lawmaker and civil rights activist, Sen. Shehu Sani, says his major political interest in 2027 is to see Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna re-elected for a second term in office.

Sani, who recently defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to his former political party, All Progressives Congress (APC), stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

“By virtue of the political equation in Kaduna State, if I happen to get a ticket to return to the senate in 2027, I will be glad, but if I am not, indeed, I will be at peace that we return Uba as governor.

“I am very much glad that Kaduna State has gotten rid of the tormentor that bedeviled the state politically, and that was the reason most of us who left APC to PDP had to return en masse to APC recently,’’ he said.

Sani, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the Eighth Senate, described power as `ephemeral’ and advised those in authority positions to always learn how to treat people well.

“If God has blessed you with power, try and impact positively on the masses. But when you get intoxicated with power by abusing it, arresting people, unleashing terror on people, a day will come when you will be out of power,’’ he said.

The former senator said that Kaduna had never been poorly governed like it was between 2015 and 2023 and that many things went wrong in the state.

“There was a very sharp division between the Muslin North and Southern Christians in the state, and that fuelled the problems of insecurity, terrorism, and other challenges that dragged development down.

“In the Birnin Gwari area of Kaduna State, farmers have started returning to their farmers, where they hitherto used to pay millions of naira fines to terrorists before going to farms.

“Though the state has not achieved all that it is set to achieve, it is far away from where it is coming from.

“Since Uba Sani took over as governor, things have improved significantly, in that we hardly hear of cases of mass adoption of people in Kaduna.

“People are now freely moving from Kaduna to Abuja, and we are thankful to Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, and President Bola Tinubu,” he said.

Sani assessed the security situation in the country, particularly in the north, and said it is better now than it was during the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

“I must say that Tinubu’s security measures are 1,000 times better than that of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The problem of the north now is that our own (Buhari) was in power for eight years; he could not do several things.

“The Mambila Hydroelectric Power project, River Niger dredging, the Baro River Port, and ending insecurity in northern Nigeria were not done.

“And yet, Buhari appointed northerners to head all the security agencies in the country, and the slaughtering and killings of our people still went unabated.

“There are four roads linking the states in the north to Abuja (Lokoja-Abuja, Kaduna-Kano-Abuja, Keffi-Abuj, and Minna-Suleja-Abuja). All these roads were not completed for the eight-year tenure of Buhari,’’ he said.

Sani queried the rationale behind some northerners’ calling Tinubu into account when, indeed, they were silent during the time of his predecessor.

“Many of the challenges plaguing the country today, if the last administration had taken the right actions, things wouldn’t have been how they are today,’’ he said.

However, the activist-turned-politician urged the president to ensure that his administration’s various reforms have a human face.

“Nigerians are suffering; they are facing extreme hardship. There should be relief for the people; they should not be overburdened.

“People are finding it difficult to pay school fees, and landlords have raised rents; intervention should address school fees and house rents.

“There should be availability of public transportation system, while our teaching hospitals should be equipped and funded to ensure that our people don’t depend on poorly equipped health facilities,’’ he said.

Nonetheless, Sani stated that anything that would elevate Nigeria to a higher level should be done in the country’s interest and future.

“This is the first time we have a president that is beating his chest and saying that any cabal does not control him. We should appreciate that and work with Tinubu,’’ he said.

The Atiku Media office has clarified that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is not leaving the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for another party.

In a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja, the office dismissed reports of defection as baseless and illogical.

The statement affirmed that Abubakar remains a loyal and active member of the PDP.

“We have noticed some platforms spreading unverified claims about Abubakar leaving the PDP,” it said.

The office further clarified that these reports about Atiku’s defection have no factual basis.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Abubakar has consistently called for a coalition of opposition parties for the 2027 elections.

Abubakar’s aim for this coalition is to challenge the All Progressives Congress (APC) and offer Nigerians a fresh political direction in 2027.

“Abubakar is advocating for a broad coalition, including the PDP.

“The allegation of Abubakar leaving the PDP is false and goes against his ongoing efforts for opposition unity,” the office confirmed.

The Atiku Media office stressed that these claims were intended to mislead Nigerians regarding the coalition’s significance in rescuing Nigeria from APC rule.