By Adeyinka Adeniran
The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) has reacted to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf’s defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC), attributing the move to the current administration’s erosion of true federalism.
According to the party’s National Secretary, Dipo Olayoku, the defection is a symptom of a larger issue – the reduction of state governors to mere subordinates of the presidency.
Speaking on a radio program, on ‘Frontline’ on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu which was monitored, Olayoku said, “This is Nigeria of today. We are supposed to have three tiers of government — national, state and local — each with constitutionally defined powers.
But unfortunately today, what we have in Nigeria is a principal, that is the president, and class captains, the governors. That is what the current administration has reduced our governors to.”
Olayoku claimed that Governor Yusuf faced intense pressure from external forces and persistent obstruction by federal institutions, making governance difficult.
“If you have a governor that will give an order and the Commissioner of Police counter it, then it tells you the type of democracy we are on,” he said.
The NNPP chieftain warned that the trend of defections reflects a threat to Nigeria’s multiparty democracy, saying, “It is not a lesson for NNPP. It is a wake-up call to Nigerians. Multi-party democracy in Nigeria is under serious threat. Federalism means that the federal, state, and local governments, each has defined powers. But when a president reminds governors, saying, “I am the President and Commander-in-Chief,” and pressures them to act a certain way, it undermines that system.”
Olayoku also spoke about the economic hardship facing Nigerians, questioning the APC-led government’s claims of doing well. “If you go to the market now and price things, you’ll see what Nigerians are really experiencing. People often say, “Oh, you don’t expect prices to remain the same after the fuel subsidy was removed.” But that’s not an achievement—it’s suffering,” he said.
The NNPP’s reaction comes as Governor Yusuf formally joined the APC alongside 22 Kano State House of Assembly members and nine federal lawmakers. The defection is part of a trend, with seven other state governors joining the APC since April 2023.
