Governors’ defections won’t derail Atiku’s 2027 victory

By AARE AMERIJOYE DOT.B

In the 2023 presidential election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, clinched victory in three Southern states, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, and Osun, all under the control of PDP governors at the time. Despite entering the race with seven Southern PDP governors, the outcome revealed not a numerical shortfall, but a moral and ideological rupture within the party’s leadership ranks.

The truth is simple yet sobering: having governors is only advantageous when those governors are loyal, visionary, and committed to the collective. In 2023, some PDP governors chose treachery over truth, ambition over allegiance, and sabotage over solidarity. It wasn’t that Atiku lacked structures, it was that the structures he had were compromised from within. And that is reason I will always support we move on with the coalition.

Yet, Nigeria’s fate does not rest in the palms of privileged politicians ,it lies in the hearts of its suffering masses. Those who queue under the scorching sun to cast their votes are not inspired by defectors or political gymnastics. They are driven by hunger, by hardship, and by hope. They align not with betrayal, but with leaders who promise justice, empathy, and progress.

2023 SOUTHERN DYNAMICS: SABOTAGE IN BROAD DAYLIGHT

Southern PDP Governors before the 2023 election:

1. Akwa Ibom – Udom Emmanuel (PDP)
2. Bayelsa – Douye Diri (PDP)
3. Delta – Ifeanyi Okowa (PDP, Atiku’s running mate)
4. Edo – Godwin Obaseki (PDP)
5. Oyo – Seyi Makinde (PDP, but part of G5 rebellion)
6. Osun – Ademola Adeleke (PDP)
7. Rivers – Nyesom Wike (PDP, architect of G5 opposition)

States Atiku won in the South:

Akwa Ibom
Bayelsa
Osun

States he lost:

Delta – lost to Peter Obi, despite Okowa being his running mate
Edo – lost to Peter Obi
Oyo – lost to Bola Tinubu
Rivers – lost to Tinubu, courtesy of Wike’s sabotage

Despite being bolstered by seven PDP governors in the South, Atiku secured only three Southern states. His total Southern vote haul stood at 1,750,817, with 941,941 votes in the South West, 719,908 from the South-South and 91,198 from the South-East. Astonishingly, over 70% of these votes came from ordinary Nigerians inspired by Atiku’s pedigree, not governors’ whims.

Since then, the tides have turned. The Tinubu administration’s arrogance, ineptitude, and indifference have amplified Atiku’s appeal in the South. The people have not forgotten. They remember.

THE NORTHERN BULWARK: ATIKU’S STRONGHOLD

In 2023, despite the North being heavily controlled by APC governors, Atiku triumphed in key states:

Kaduna – besting El-Rufai’s machinery
Katsina – cracking Masari’s APC legacy
Gombe – overcoming Yahaya’s pro-Tinubu push
Yobe – outmaneuvering Mai Mala Buni
Kebbi – dismantling Bagudu’s political grip

He further held strong in PDP-controlled states:

Adamawa
Bauchi
Taraba
Sokoto

In total, Atiku received 5,233,703 votes from the North, affirming his cross-regional strength and grassroots acceptability across ethnic and partisan lines.

TINUBU’S NORTHERN TALLY: NOT INSURMOUNTABLE

North-West: 2,652,235 votes
North-East: 1,185,458 votes
North-Central: 1,760,993 votes
Total Northern Votes for Tinubu: 5,598,686

These figures may seem significant, but they were procured under highly questionable conditions,including alleged suppression, induced votes, and elite bargaining. In 2027, the electorate will not be so easily deceived.

OBI’S VOTES AND THE SOUTHERN SITUATION.

Peter Obi secured 6,101,533 total votes in 2023.

Northern Nigeria:

North-Central: 1,415,577
North-East: 315,107
North-West: 350,182
Total North: 1,080,866

Southern Nigeria:

South-East: 1,952,998
South-South: 1,210,675
South-West: 846,478
FCT: 281,000
Total South (including FCT): 5,020,667

These figures show that Obi remains a formidable force, particularly in the South-East. But political reality now beckons: if Atiku and Obi can realign on principles and purpose, their combined force will neutralise Tinubu’s celebration over PDP defections. And now is the time,not six months to the election.

2027: PEOPLE OVER POLITICIANS

Let no one panic over reports of six PDP governors mulling defection to APC. Nigeria is at a crossroads,and Atiku is the compass. The party may be fractured, but the possibility of a new, bold, and formidable coalition is not only realistic, it is inevitable.

The greatest lesson from 2023? Governors do not win elections. People do.

Atiku Abubakar stands as the most experienced, most prepared, and most trusted national figure to rescue Nigeria from the current quagmire. His resilience, reach, and vision remain unmatched. No betrayal can silence the rising voice of a nation yearning for liberation.

Let us act now. Let us unite the righteous forces. And let us walk with Atiku into the sunrise of a new Nigerian dawn.