The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) has said that the recent defections of the governors of Enugu and Bayelsa states to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will not guarantee victory for the party in the 2027 general elections.
CUPP’s General Secretary, Chief Peter Ameh, stated this in Abuja while reacting to the ongoing wave of defections by opposition politicians to the APC.
Ameh said those trooping into the ruling party were “poor students of Nigeria’s political history,” stressing that Nigerians remain the ultimate deciders of who governs them.
“As someone who has closely observed Nigeria’s political evolution, I am not surprised by the defection of the Enugu and Bayelsa State governors or the speculation surrounding others planning to join the APC,” he said. “What surprises me, however, is how many of our political elite still believe that joining the ruling party is the only path to political survival. This mindset stems from their refusal to genuinely work for the people.”
He added that “no defection can save a leader who has lost touch with his people,” insisting that political realignments cannot override the power of the electorate.
According to Ameh, the 2023 general elections marked a turning point in Nigeria’s democracy, as voters defied intimidation and rejected political manipulation.
“One of the most striking examples was in Southern Kaduna, where an Okada rider defeated established politicians to win a seat in the House of Representatives,” he said, describing it as a powerful message that Nigerians now vote with their conscience rather than party affiliation.
Ameh warned that the growing discontent among citizens, worsened by political opportunism and elite defections, suggests that the 2027 elections will be a fiercely contested battleground where the will of the people could decisively reshape the nation’s political landscape.
