Makinde: Party defections can’t feed hungry Nigerians

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has dismissed the ongoing gale of defections to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as a mere political spectacle that does nothing to address hunger and worsening hardship in the country.

In his monthly newsletter released Thursday, Makinde said while politicians are crossing carpets, ordinary Nigerians continue to battle poverty, unemployment and a collapse in living standards.

“In recent weeks, the national conversation has shifted to who is moving rather than what is moving,” Makinde said.
“For me, the only defection that matters is the defection of hunger. I will only be moved when hunger defects into the APC.”

The PDP has witnessed the exit of several high-profile members, including Enugu Governor Peter Mbah and Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri, who defected to the APC.

Makinde faulted political actors who behave as though change of party platforms equals governance progress.

“Families are being forced to make impossible choices daily. That is the real issue—not political realignments,” he noted.

The governor warned that every policy that removes money from people’s pockets drags more Nigerians into poverty. He argued that politics must serve people, not power blocs.

Makinde said Nigerians still remember when salaries had value and when businesses could plan — a period he said the PDP once presided over. According to him, the challenge before PDP members is to rebuild trust ahead of the party’s national convention in November.

He insisted the 2027 elections will ultimately be decided by the people, not by defections engineered through political scheming.

“Our job in the PDP,” Makinde added, “is to show proof that we can deliver relief where others have brought pain. Hunger will not last forever — but only if we refuse to normalise it.”