Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule has dismissed claims that the All Progressives Congress (APC) is discouraging further defections by state governors, insisting that the ruling party remains open to new entrants.
Governor Sule made the remarks on Thursday during an interview on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television, where he addressed concerns over the growing wave of defections to the APC.
Responding to questions on whether the party is still eager to attract more governors, Sule queried the anxiety such movements generate within opposition parties.
“Why are they refusing them if they want to join? Why does the party get panicked when another governor is leaving if the governor’s leaving doesn’t mean anything? Why will the governor’s leaving become a betrayal? Why will a governor leaving become a big problem if the governors will not make any impact?” he asked.
He argued that the decision of any governor to defect should not be exaggerated, particularly if such a move does not significantly affect governance or political stability.
Sule disclosed that the APC recently welcomed its 29th serving governor, noting that Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang attended a party meeting following his defection. He added that the party had earlier received the Governor of Taraba State, who is expected to be formally welcomed in the coming days.
“As of yesterday, we welcomed the 29th governor that is, the governor of Plateau State to our meeting. It was the 28th after welcoming the governor of Taraba, who will be received officially in the next two days,” he said.
“These governors are actually going to be those who are selling the party, who are also selling themselves, and who are selling Mr President. Most likely, a few more governors will join,” Sule added.
The Nasarawa governor also dismissed fears that the growing number of APC governors could turn Nigeria into a one-party state, describing such concerns as unfounded.
“There is no way all 36 governors will belong to one party. And even if that were to happen, Nigeria would still not become a one-party state. From all indications, that scenario is not even going to occur,” he said.
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Sule expressed confidence in the APC’s prospects, stating that the party’s chances are significantly stronger than they were in 2023.
He argued that the next election would not be a contest between the APC and the people, but rather between candidates.
Since President Bola Tinubu assumed office in May 2023, the APC has witnessed an influx of serving governors from opposition parties a trend that intensified in 2025 and has continued in recent months.
Among those who have defected to the ruling party are Abba Yusuf of Kano State from the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), as well as Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers, Peter Mbah of Enugu, Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, Douye Diri of Bayelsa, and Agbu Kefas of Taraba State all from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Most recently, Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State formally defected from the PDP to the APC on Tuesday, bringing the number of APC governors to 29.
While the defections have largely been attributed to internal crises within opposition parties, the political realignments have intensified debate over the shape of the 2027 elections.
