By Edmund Obilo
In Nigerian politics, power is not merely a tool—it is the air that politicians breathe and the compass that guides decisions. In this system where loyalty is transient and party affiliation is often a costume for convenience, the recent defection of the Delta State governor Sheriff Francis Orohwedor Oborevwori, from the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) throws yet another spotlight on the dance between power, ambition, and political survival.
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, often described as a man of vision, stands at the crossroads of this evolving drama. His reputation as a leader who knows what he wants and how to get it politically sets him apart in a landscape where many react to power rather than shape it. Yet even a man of clarity must now contend with the gravitational pull of President Bola Tinubu’s expanding influence and the visible tremors it is causing within the PDP.
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Will Makinde defect to APC?
Power in Nigeria is centripetal. It pulls everything toward Abuja. Governors who do not align with the centre must either become resistance men or strategic collaborators. Makinde’s decision will not just be a personal or partisan one—it will be an expression of how power is negotiated in a highly polarized and patronage-driven republic.
