The National Chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Senator Nenadi Usman, has said she does not know the reasons opposition politicians are defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), insisting that the trend does not spell the end of opposition influence ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Usman made the remarks during an interview on Politics on Sunday aired by TVC News, where she reacted to recent defections from opposition parties, including the Labour Party, to the APC.

She said the fact that most state governors now belong to the ruling party does not mean opposition parties would be irrelevant in the next general election.

Speaking on the gale of defections, Usman said she could not point to any specific reason behind the movement of politicians to the APC.

“You asked me, you said what do I think is making them flock to the APC? Honestly, I don’t know what is making them flock to the APC,” she said.

“We hear a lot of news around. We hear stories of people who — they say, if you join the APC, your sins are forgiven, right? So, it could be that. I don’t know,” Usman added.

When asked whether the Labour Party has the capacity to field a candidate capable of challenging the APC in the 2027 presidential election, Usman declined to give a definitive answer, saying it was too early to make such a decision.

“When we get to that bridge, we’ll cross it. Because whether we are fielding a candidate, how we are going to field the candidate, is not something that I personally can sit now and take a decision,” she said.

She maintained that despite the defections, opposition parties would still play a significant role in Nigeria’s democratic process in 2027. (Vanguard)