Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, says the most important defection in Nigeria has not yet taken place — the defection of hunger and poverty from the country.
In his bi-monthly newsletter released on Thursday, Makinde said while the recent defections of some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors to the All Progressives Congress (APC) have dominated national discussions, Nigerians should focus on when economic hardship “defects” out of their lives, as only then will prosperity return.
“I am sure many of you have been following the recent defections of politicians, especially the governors who have left the PDP for the APC and other parties,” Makinde wrote.
“With these defections, political pundits have been busy reading meanings into every handshake and silence. I have watched as our national conversation once again turns to who is moving rather than what is moving.”
He said the only defection that truly matters is that of hunger, stressing that Nigerians are struggling to meet basic needs while political realignments continue to attract attention.
“When I was asked about this wave of cross-carpeting in a recent press conference, I said I would only be moved when hunger defects into the APC. I meant every word of it,” he said. “Families are being forced to make impossible choices daily. These are the real issues, not political realignments.”
Makinde noted that the widening inequality gap is deepening frustration and hopelessness across the country, adding that “it is hunger, not partisanship, that fuels despair.”
According to him, only the Nigerian people, not defections or political manoeuvres, will decide the outcome of the 2027 general election.
He said the PDP must rebuild trust by offering solutions to the economic hardship that has worsened under successive governments.
“No matter what the analysts predict, it is the Nigerian people who will decide the 2027 elections. Our job in the PDP is to prove we can deliver relief where others have brought pain,” he stated.
“Nigerians remember when salaries had value, when businesses could plan, and when hope was not an illusion. Our task now is to rebuild that trust and restore the PDP as a platform that prioritises people over politics.”
Makinde said the PDP’s upcoming national convention in Ibadan would serve as more than just a gathering of party faithful, describing it as “an opportunity to reset and reassert our values.”
He urged citizens not to lose faith, saying hunger and deprivation would not last forever if Nigerians remain engaged and refuse to normalise hardship.
“Let others defect for convenience; let us stand firm for conscience. When hunger finally defects, prosperity will return, and so will our pride as a people,” the governor added.
Makinde concluded by emphasising that politics must serve humanity, warning that any policy detached from the realities of hunger, unemployment, and loss of dignity is “not worth defending.”
“Economic decisions are not about numbers,” he said. “Every decision that takes money out of people’s pockets moves them closer to poverty. My belief is that our politics must serve humanity.”
Leave a Reply