APC overloaded by mass defection will implode, says Abba Moro

President Bola Tinubu, yesterday, in Lagos, inaugurated a high-powered Committee on Strategy, Conflict Resolution and Mobilisation to address internal wranglings within the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the ruling party prepares for the 2027 general elections.
 
However, Senate Minority Leader, Abba Moro, said the APC is now akin to a boat being overloaded midstream.
He added that the gale of defections to the ruling party poses a serious threat to Nigeria’s democracy.
 
The APC committee inaugurated by Tinubu is designed to strengthen party cohesion, resolve lingering disputes and craft a unified mobilisation strategy capable of sustaining the APC’s dominance at the polls. It is composed of serving governors, members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), and influential party stakeholders countrywide.
 
Governor Mai Buni of Yobe State was named Chairman of the committee, while Muiz Banire, a former National Legal Adviser of the APC, will serve as Secretary.
 
Other members include Senator Adamu Aliero; Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq; Chairman of Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) and Governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodimma; as well as Governors Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Bassey Otu (Cross River), Abiodun Oyebanji (Ekiti) and Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta).
 
Also on the committee are Governors Uba Sani (Kaduna) and Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers); Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola; Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle; and former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
 
Speaking at the inauguration, Governor Buni expressed gratitude to Tinubu and the party leadership for the confidence reposed in him and other members, pledging that the assignment would be handled with a strong sense of responsibility and commitment.
 
According to him, the committee will undertake wide-ranging consultations and strategic engagements to develop an inclusive, durable, and results-driven framework for managing party affairs.
 
“The committee will engage in strategic consultations to develop an all-encompassing, productive and result-oriented strategy that will stand the test of time. We shall implement a system that gives everyone, especially aggrieved parties, a sense of belonging and inclusion, with a renewed hope,” Buni said.
 
He cautioned members against allowing personal interests or sentiments to undermine the broader objectives of the assignment, urging them to remain guided by the collective interest of the party and its progressive ideals.
 
The inauguration followed Tinubu’s strong call for unity and internal harmony at the APC’s 15th National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held on December 19, at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
 
At that meeting, the President reminded party leaders that the APC was founded on the principles of progressive politics, inclusiveness and respect for diverse opinions, warning that internal intolerance could weaken the party’s democratic credentials.
 
“We must continue to be resolute that this democracy we take in our hands must not fail. We say we are bigger, we are larger and taller, but it should now be in our hearts to be accommodating. That is the only way we can be resilient; we must be tolerant,” Tinubu said.
MORO spoke on APC’s implosion on Tuesday during plenary, after Barinada Mpigi and Allwell Onyesoh, senators representing Rivers South-east and Rivers East respectively, defected from the PDP to the APC.
 
The defections were witnessed by APC leaders and members who were admitted into the red chamber after the senate suspended its rules. Reacting after resumption of plenary, Moro described the development as “a dangerous drift in Nigeria’s democracy”, saying such movements weaken opposition and democratic balance.
 
“In view of what has just happened, I say that my colleagues on this part of the aisle who moved have exercised their rights to associate as they wish,” he said. “Let me say here, like I have said before, that when you overload a boat midstream, the possible consequence is the load capsizing.
   
“I think that when people move, they should have the courage to move with this conviction and not to give the impression of the imminent collapse of the PDP or the opposition. I find it a little unfortunate that the leader of the Senate is congratulating himself and his party on the dangerous drift of Nigeria’s democracy. I insist that this is not good for democracy.”
 
Meanwhile, the APC has said Tinubu demonstrated uncommon courage and resolve in steering Nigeria through difficult but necessary reforms in 2025.
 
The party stated this yesterday in its end-of-year assessment of the state of the nation, signed by the Lagos State APC Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo.
 
According to the party, 2025 marked a decisive turning point for the country, one that required bold leadership and hard choices.  It said Tinubu chose to confront decades of economic mismanagement and governance failures that previous administrations avoided.