The number of states controlled by opposition parties has dropped to five, following the defection of Governor Dauda Lawal of Zamfara from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

With the development, the APC now controls 32 states, further consolidating its dominance across the country’s political landscape, leaving only five states for the opposition.

Also, two-time PDP governorship candidate in Nasarawa State, David Ombugadu, officially returned to the All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring his inability to remain as opposition leader for the past eight years.

The states left in opposition are Abia, governed by Alex Otti of Labour Party (LP); Anambra, led by Charles Soludo of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA); Osun State, led by Governor Ademola Adeleke of Accord Party (AP); Bauchi a governed by the PDP’s Bala Mohammed and Oyo under Seyi Makinde, also of PDP.

Governor Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s home state, recently defected from PDP to APC, a few weeks after Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano resigned from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) for the APC.

In a statement issued by the Director-General, Media and Communication in the Office of the Governor, Nuhu Anka, yesterday, the Zamfara government said the governor’s defection followed extensive consultations with political leaders, elders and stakeholders across the state.

According to the statement, Lawal’s defection was taken in the “overriding interest of stability, progress and the sustainable development” of Zamfara.

The government explained that the governor decided to leave the PDP due to the prolonged internal crisis, leadership disagreements and unresolved structural challenges within the party at the national and state levels.

“These challenges have continued to create uncertainty and distractions that could hinder effective governance and the delivery of democratic dividends to the people of Zamfara State,” the statement noted.

OMBUGADU, during the APC caucus meeting in Lafia, moments before the party’s state congress held at Lafia Square, explained that his years in the opposition were spent trying to discredit Governor Abdullahi Sule and his administration.

“I spent eight years on the other side, policing the policy of my elder brother. I was watching to see that I de-market his policies. Having led your opposition party for good eight years, my job and task was to make sure that at every time, anything that is good, we paint it black,” he said.

Ombugadu contested against Sule in the 2019 and 2023 governorship elections. He challenged the results of both polls up to the Supreme Court but was unsuccessful.

He confessed his time in the opposition gave him the opportunity to scrutinise the governor’s performance closely.

“But today, I am so happy that having scrutinised his policies, his performance and everything, I have come to realise that the best thing to do for the interest of our people of Nasarawa, for the growth and progress of Nasarawa is to join the progressives and to bring value to the table,” he stated.

The former House of Representatives member, who represented Akwanga/Nassarawa/Eggon Federal Constituency from 2011 to 2015, explained that his departure from the APC in 2015 was not because the party was not viable.

He said he was a founding member of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), which later merged to form the APC, but felt excluded due to vested interests in his zone, despite his record as a representative.

Ombugadu also hinted that more of his supporters would be joining the APC.