President Bola Tinubu reportedly made a secret agreement with several Southern governors to hold all elections—presidential, governorship, National Assembly, and state assembly—on a single day in November 2026, as part of a strategy to strengthen the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 polls.
Sources indicate this deal, struck in a closed-door meeting, promised re-election support for governors defecting to the APC, prompting high-profile defections in states like Delta, Enugu, and Bayelsa, long-time Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) strongholds.
In Delta, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his deputy, commissioners, and predecessor Senator Ifeanyi Okowa joined the APC in 2025, a shift Tinubu called a “political tsunami.” Enugu’s Governor Peter Mbah and Bayelsa’s governor also defected recently. The governors proposed a one-day election or holding the presidential election last to prevent post-election betrayals, a plan Tinubu allegedly approved. Additionally, the deal includes scrapping electronic result transmission from polling units, opting for collation center transmissions to facilitate state-level control, raising concerns about potential electoral manipulation.
The agreement reportedly led to tensions with former INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu, who was pressured to resign after resisting the plan and attempting to register new political parties, including recognizing the African Democratic Congress (ADC) takeover. Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma warned Tinubu that Yakubu’s actions, including plans to favor a close associate in Imo, could disrupt APC’s 2027 strategy. Yakubu was directed to proceed on terminal leave, and Prof. Joash Amupitan was confirmed as the new INEC Chairman.
