The crossing: five governors, one party, and the new map of 2027

In Nigerian politics, a governor changing party is a major event. Over roughly a year and a half, a series of them have joined the All Progressives Congress (APC), and together they have changed the political map going into 2027.

The roll call

Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom) moved to the APC in June 2025.

Douye Diri (Bayelsa) followed in November 2025, together with the Speaker of the state House of Assembly and lawmakers.

Agbu Kefas (Taraba) was received into the party in February 2026.

Dauda Lawal (Zamfara) formally defected in March 2026.

Abba Kabir Yusuf (Kano) crossed over from the NNPP in 2026.

A 31-state claim

By March 2026, Pulse reported, the APC was claiming control of 31 states. That is an unusually broad base for a party going into a presidential election.

The opposition field is still crowded. INEC’s final list has 18 presidential candidates, including Atiku Abubakar of the ADC, Peter Obi of the NDC and Oyo Governor Seyi Makinde of the APM, alongside candidates from the PDP and PRP.

Room for everyone

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sought to reassure both new arrivals and long-standing members. All governors, he has said, remain the leaders of the APC in their states. The message is that the party wants to be a broad coalition rather than a closed club.

That approach goes beyond governors elected on the APC’s platform. The party’s campaign council includes PDP figures such as FCT Minister Nyesom Wike, and Governors Ademola Adeleke of Osun and Charles Soludo of Anambra have also pledged their support for the President.

What it means for voters

Defections do not deliver votes on their own; that is up to voters on 16 January. But for young people in these states, a governor in the same party as the federal government can mean closer coordination on projects, programmes and the flow of funds that the World Bank says states have gained most from.