Oyo State governor, Seyi Makinde, has said that despite the recent wave of defections rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the ‘most important defection’ in Nigeria has yet to take place: the defection of hunger and deprivation from the country.
The governor made the remark in his bi-monthly newsletter released on Thursday, where he urged Nigerians to focus on the nation’s real challenges rather than being distracted by political realignments and defections.
Makinde stated that while politicians crossing from the PDP to the All Progressives Congress (APC) had dominated public discussion, Nigerians should instead be concerned about how to tackle hunger, inequality and poverty.
‘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. When hunger defects out of Nigeria, prosperity will return and our pride will be restored,’ he wrote.
The governor said that during a recent press conference, he had remarked that he would only be moved when ‘hunger defects into the APC.’
He explained that while politicians are busy switching parties, ordinary Nigerians are struggling to afford basic necessities.
‘Families are being forced to make impossible choices daily. These are the real issues, not political realignment. We cannot continue pretending that everything is fine simply because someone in government says so,’ he added.
Makinde lamented that inequality in the country was widening, with the rich merely adjusting to hardship while the poor are sinking deeper into poverty.
He warned that hunger, not politics, was the root cause of public frustration and hopelessness.
The governor maintained that Nigerians, not political elites, would ultimately determine the outcome of the 2027 general elections, stressing that the PDP must refocus on delivering relief and hope.
‘No matter how many defections are engineered, it is the Nigerian people who will decide the 2027 elections.
‘Our job in the PDP is to show that we can deliver relief where others have brought pain. Nigerians still remember when salaries had value, when businesses could plan, and when hope was not an illusion,’ he said.
Makinde revealed that the PDP would hold its national convention in Ibadan in November, describing it as an opportunity for the party to ‘reset and reassert its values.’
‘It will not just be a gathering of party faithful, but a chance to send a clear message that we are focused on rebuilding lives, not merely rebuilding structures of power,’ he noted.
The governor urged Nigerians to remain engaged and hopeful, assuring that the current hardship would not last forever.
‘Let others defect for convenience; let us stand firm for conscience. When hunger finally defects, prosperity will return, and so will our pride as a people,’ he said.
Makinde emphasised that politics must serve humanity, warning that policies detached from the realities of hunger, unemployment, and human dignity were not worth defending.
Citing insights from his ‘Book of the Month,’ ‘Money: A Story of Humanity’ by David McWilliams, he noted that every economic decision that worsens poverty undermines the nation’s moral fabric.
‘Policies divorced from the realities of hunger, unemployment and the erosion of dignity are not policies worth defending. Our politics must serve humanity,’ he said.
The statement was signed by the governor’s Special Adviser on Media, Dr Sulaimon Olanrewaju, and dated October 17, 2025.