The internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) may worsen in the coming weeks as Bala Mohammed and Seyi Makinde are reportedly preparing to leave the opposition party before April.
According to sources familiar with the development, the Bauchi State governor is set to join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while the Oyo State governor is said to be finalising plans to move to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The planned exits come amid growing unrest within the PDP, which has been grappling with a prolonged leadership tussle that has triggered a wave of defections among key members.
A party insider who spoke anonymously revealed that the defections are almost certain.
“All the PDP leaders are leaving. Bala Mohammed is already in APC, Makinde is on his way to ADC,” the source said.
Since the 2023 general elections, the PDP has reportedly lost no fewer than nine governors to other political parties.
Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State was the first to defect to the APC in April 2025.
He was later followed by Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State in June 2025 and Peter Mbah of Enugu State who also joined the ruling party in October 2025.
Other governors who reportedly left the party include Douye Diri of Bayelsa State and Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State in late 2025.
In early 2026, three more governors—Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State, Agbu Kefas of Taraba State, and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State—also dumped the PDP for the APC.
However, Ademola Adeleke of Osun State chose a different route, defecting to the Accord Party in December 2025.
Meanwhile, Dauda Lawal, governor of Zamfara State, is also reportedly preparing to join the APC after the upcoming Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
The exodus is not limited to governors. Several federal lawmakers have also switched allegiance.
According to tracking by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre, about 66 PDP federal lawmakers have defected to the APC since the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in June 2023.
The figure includes 19 senators and 47 members of the House of Representatives.
The rush to defect is largely driven by the new election timetable released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
Under the schedule, presidential and National Assembly elections will take place on January 16, 2027, while governorship and state assembly elections are slated for February 6, 2027.
Party primaries are expected to run between April 23 and May 30, 2026, meaning politicians must finalise their party affiliations before then.
INEC has also directed political parties to submit their membership registers between April 1 and April 21, 2026, in compliance with the Electoral Act.
Amid the growing turmoil, concerns are emerging that the PDP may struggle to present a candidate for the 2027 presidential election.
A party chieftain, Omenka Thomas, warned that ongoing litigation over the controversial Ibadan convention could complicate the party’s preparations for the polls.
He noted that the Court of Appeal has yet to conclude the case before the window for primary elections.
Recently, the Court of Appeal sitting in Ibadan urged the party’s warring factions to resolve their differences amicably, describing the crisis as a family dispute that had “gone sour.”
Observers say the coming weeks could determine whether the PDP stabilises ahead of the 2027 elections or faces a deeper political realignment within Nigeria’s opposition landscape.