Loading ...ABUJA, NIGERIA — The Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, has stirred massive political controversy across the country by claiming that opposition governors, lawmakers, and heavyweights are aggressively cross-carpeting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) because President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has effectively locked down an 85% victory ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Speaking during a high-level political assessment brief on the current waves of cross-carpeting sweeping the national landscape, the Ebonyi North lawmaker argued that the ongoing political realignments are based on calculated survival instincts by opposition politicians who recognize that the 2027 race is already a done deal.
The Mathematics of Defection
Senator Nwaebonyi’s comments follow a high-profile series of defections, including the recent dramatic exit of former Sokoto State People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Mallam Sa’idu Umar Ubandoma, to the APC fold in Abuja.
According to Nwaebonyi, the rush by top-tier politicians to align with the progressive camp is a pragmatic acknowledgement of the incumbent’s overwhelming structural advantage, rather than simple opportunism.
“The reason governors and others are defecting to APC is because Tinubu has already won the 2027 election by 85%,” Nwaebonyi declared confidently during the political session. “Politicians are simply reading the handwriting on the wall. Instead of staying back to witness an inevitable defeat, they are collapsing their grassroots machineries into the ruling party to secure their relevance in the coming dispensation.”
Dismissing Opposition Maneuvers
The senior lawmaker dismissed ongoing coalition efforts by opposition platforms—including the newly formed alignments within the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC)—arguing that their efforts are coming at the wrong time in Nigeria’s political evolution.
| Geopolitical Dynamic | Senator Nwaebonyi’s Structural Projections |
| Electoral Projections | Anticipates a crushing 85% victory margin for President Tinubu in 2027. |
| Defection Drivers | Attributed to opposition figures seeking long-term political survival and relevance. |
| Opposition Stability | Claims the APC remains entirely unbothered by minor counter-defections into opposition blocks. |
| Electoral Timelines | Insists opposition machinery cannot dismantle the incumbent’s national network in time. |
Nwaebonyi stated that the APC’s core national structure remains completely unaffected by minor local counter-defections, emphasizing that the party’s ongoing legislative and executive policies continue to draw massive, un-coerced support from major blocks in the South-East and Northern regions.
Outrage From the Opposition Camp
The Senator’s bold, mathematical assertion has immediately drawn fierce criticism from opposition watchdogs and civil society organizations. Critics slammed the 85% claim as a dangerous expression of political arrogance that undermines the democratic process and insults the sensibilities of millions of citizens currently grappling with intense economic challenges.
“To boldly claim an election has been won by 85% a year before votes are cast shows the level of complacency in the ruling party,” an opposition media coordinator fired back on Wednesday afternoon.
However, with more high-profile opposition stalwarts reportedly in advanced talks to join the ruling party before the end of the year, Nwaebonyi’s comments underscore the growing narrative within the APC camp that the 2027 presidential contest is quickly becoming an unequal battleground.
