2027: Makinde, Bala Mohammed Set to Dump PDP as Party Crisis Deepens — Source

Governors of Oyo and Bauchi states, Seyi Makinde and Bala Mohammed, are reportedly set to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before April, amid an ongoing wave of defections and a deepening leadership crisis within Nigeria’s main opposition party.

According to a source familiar with developments within the party, the two governors have concluded plans to dump the PDP as the internal wrangling within the party continues to intensify.

The source disclosed that Bala Mohammed is preparing to join the All Progressives Congress (APC), while Makinde is said to have finalised arrangements to defect to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

“All the PDP leaders are leaving. Bala Mohammed is already in APC, Makinde is on his way to ADC,” the source said anonymously.

The planned defections are expected to further weaken the PDP, which has been grappling with internal divisions and leadership tussles since the 2023 general elections.

Since the last general elections, at least nine governors elected on the platform of the PDP have left the party, citing unresolved internal crises.

Delta State Governor, Sheriff Oborevwori, was the first to defect to the APC in April 2025.

He was followed by Akwa Ibom State Governor, Umo Eno, who joined the ruling party in June 2025. Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, also dumped the PDP for the APC in October 2025.

In November 2025, Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, defected to the APC, while Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, followed suit in December 2025.

In January 2026, three more governors—Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State, Agbu Kefas of Taraba State, and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State—also left the PDP for the ruling party.

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, however, chose a different path, leaving the PDP in December 2025 to join the Accord Party.

Meanwhile, Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has also indicated interest in defecting from the PDP to the APC and is expected to be formally received into the ruling party after the forthcoming Eid-el-Kabir celebration.

The gale of defections has not been limited to governors, as federal lawmakers have also continued to leave the opposition party.

Data compiled by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre showed that as of January 2026, no fewer than 66 PDP lawmakers in the National Assembly had defected to the APC since the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in June 2023.

This figure includes 19 senators and 47 members of the House of Representatives.

Political observers say the latest round of planned defections may be linked to the new election timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Under the schedule, presidential and National Assembly elections are slated for January 16, 2027, while governorship and state House of Assembly elections will hold on February 6, 2027.

INEC also fixed April 23 to May 30, 2026, for political parties to conduct their primary elections.

In line with the Electoral Act, political parties are expected to submit their membership registers to the commission between April 1 and April 21, 2026.

As a result, politicians planning to switch parties are under pressure to finalise their defections before the deadline.

Amid the ongoing crisis, there are also concerns that the PDP may struggle to field a candidate in the 2027 presidential election due to unresolved legal battles within the party.

A party chieftain, Omenka Thomas, said the litigation surrounding the party’s disputed Ibadan convention could affect preparations for the presidential primary.

“Primary election is already at the corner and we don’t even know what the Appeal Court will decide on the matter yet,” Thomas said in Abuja.

“Any of the factions that elects a candidate during the primary, you don’t know what the court ruling will be, so nobody wants to waste time and resources.”

He also alleged that the election timetable could complicate the party’s internal legal disputes before the presidential primaries.

Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan recently urged the warring factions within the party to resolve their differences amicably, describing the dispute as a “family matter that has gone sour.”

The Court of Appeal in Abuja is also expected to deliver judgment on consolidated appeals filed by the rival factions within the PDP later this week.