Hunger yet to defect from Nigeria – Makinde

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has said that the most important defection in Nigeria — defection of hunger and poverty from the country – has yet to take place.

Makinde stated this following the recent wave of defections by some Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governors to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

According to him, Nigerians should be more concerned about when economic hardship defects from their lives.

“I am sure many of you have been following the recent defections of politicians — especially the governors who have left the Peoples Democratic Party for the All Progressives Congress and other parties.

“With these defections, political pundits have been busy reading meanings into every handshake and silence. I have watched as our national conversation once again turns to who is moving rather than what is moving.

“For me, the only defection that truly matters is the one that has not happened yet — the defection of hunger,” he said.

The governor lamented that families are being forced to make impossible choices daily while political realignments dominate the news.

Makinde cautioned that widening inequality was fuelling frustration and despair across the country, stressing that hunger, not partisanship, was deepening hopelessness among citizens.

He further explained that only Nigerians, not political manoeuvres, would decide the outcome of the 2027 general election, urging the PDP to rebuild public trust by presenting credible solutions to economic hardship.

His comment is coming following the wave of high-profile defections from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress, including those of Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah and his Bayelsa counterpart, Douye Diri.