Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, says the most consequential “defection” Nigeria should anticipate is the day hunger and poverty leave the country.

In his bi-monthly newsletter released on Thursday, the governor noted that while recent defections of some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors to the All Progressives Congress (APC) have dominated public discourse, the real issue is when economic hardship “defects” from the lives of Nigerians.

“I am sure many of you have been following the recent defections of politicians,” Makinde wrote. “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.”

Makinde stressed that the only defection that truly matters is that of hunger, noting that millions of Nigerians are struggling to meet basic needs even as political realignments take centre stage.

“When I was asked about this wave of cross-carpeting in a recent press conference, I said I would only be moved when hunger defects into the APC. I meant every word of it,” he said. “Families are being forced to make impossible choices daily. These are the real issues, not political realignments.”

The governor warned that widening inequality is deepening frustration and hopelessness, adding that “it is hunger, not partisanship, that fuels despair.”

He also maintained that the outcome of the 2027 general elections would be determined by the Nigerian people, not by political manoeuvres. According to him, the PDP must rebuild trust by addressing the economic pain currently afflicting citizens.

“No matter what the analysts predict, it is the Nigerian people who will decide the 2027 elections. Our job in the PDP is to prove we can deliver relief where others have brought pain,” Makinde wrote. “Nigerians remember when salaries had value, when businesses could plan, and when hope was not an illusion. Our task now is to rebuild that trust and restore the PDP as a platform that prioritises people over politics.”

Describing the party’s upcoming national convention in Ibadan as “more than a routine gathering,” Makinde said it would serve as “an opportunity to reset and reassert our values.”

He urged Nigerians not to lose faith, saying: “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.”

Makinde concluded by insisting that politics must serve humanity, warning that policies detached from the realities of hunger, unemployment, and lost dignity are “not worth defending.”

“Economic decisions are not about numbers,” he added. “Every decision that takes money out of people’s pockets moves them closer to poverty. My belief is that our politics must serve humanity.”