Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai says the ongoing wave of political defections among governors will not hinder Nigerians from choosing new leaders in the 2027 general elections.

El-Rufai, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), stated this on Wednesday in Jos, Plateau State, during the unveiling of the party’s national contact and mobilisation office.

He argued that while governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are defecting to the All Progressives Congress (APC), ordinary Nigerians are shifting their support to the ADC.
“Governors from PDP are defecting to APC, but Nigerians are defecting to ADC; by God’s grace, 230 million Nigerians will defeat 25 governors,” he said. “Nigerians have decided that in 2027 they will vote for ADC.”

Reflecting on his long personal relationship with Plateau, el-Rufai lamented that the state had lost the peace and vibrancy it once enjoyed.
“Forty years ago, I was visiting Plateau every week because my fiancée did her national youth service here in Jos,” he recalled, as quoted by Daily Trust. “Even after marriage, we visited Jos regularly for weekends, but since then things have gone in the wrong direction in Jos and Plateau.”

He expressed confidence that the ADC could unite Plateau and the nation if entrusted with leadership in 2027.
“I hope that with better leadership at the state and national level, we will be able to unite the people of Plateau State across ethnic and religious lines so that Plateau can be that home of peace and tourism that we have known it to be,” he said.

El-Rufai added that Nigerians were tired of both the APC and PDP, saying the task ahead for the ADC is to unite its members, present credible candidates and promote policies that benefit all Nigerians.

Earlier, Jamilu Datti, Plateau coordinator of the ADC contact and mobilisation office, urged young people to rally behind the party ahead of the 2027 elections.