Former Sokoto State governor and senator representing Sokoto South, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has downplayed concerns over the recent defections of some governors to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that elections in Nigeria are ultimately decided by voters, not political office holders.
Tambuwal said Nigerians should not panic about the political realignments, noting that the outcome of elections has repeatedly shown that the electorate—not governors—determine who wins at the polls.
To buttress his point, the former governor cited several instances where former governors failed in their senatorial bids despite their political influence.
“Samuel Ortom of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost his election bid for the Benue North-West Senatorial District seat in the National Assembly to his All Progressives Congress counterpart in the district, Titus Zam,” he said.
Tambuwal added that Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, also a member of the PDP’s G5 group of governors, lost his bid to represent Enugu North Senatorial District in the National Assembly.
“Similarly, Okezie Ikpeazu, another G5 member, lost his bid to represent Abia South Senatorial District in the National Assembly to Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA),” he said.
He further noted that Darius Ishaku, a two-term PDP governor, also lost his senatorial ambition to represent Taraba South Senatorial District to the APC’s David Jimkuta.
Tambuwal also pointed to the defeat of Simon Lalong, former chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum and Director-General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council in the 2023 election, who lost the Plateau South Senatorial District seat to Napoleon Bali of the PDP.
According to him, other former governors who failed in their senatorial ambitions include Ben Ayade, who lost the Cross River North Senatorial District seat to the PDP’s Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe, and Atiku Bagudu, who lost his bid for Kebbi Central Senatorial District to Senator Adamu Aliero.
Tambuwal maintained that these examples show that electoral victory ultimately rests with the people rather than the political stature of governors or other high-ranking officials. He urged Nigerians to remain confident in the democratic process despite ongoing political defections across the country.
