Defections: “The Overloaded Ship Will Sink” — Ndume Warns Tinubu, Hints at Leaving APC

By Arthur Maduka

Senator Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South, has said he may leave the All Progressives Congress (APC) if President Bola Tinubu fails to improve governance and address key national challenges.

Speaking on Arise Television’s “Prime Time” programme, Ndume revealed he has attended several meetings with opposition leaders exploring the formation of a coalition to unseat Tinubu in the 2027 elections. Although he has yet to commit to the opposition bloc, the senator made it clear that his patience has limits.

“I’m aware of the opposition coalition. I went to several of their meetings. I still believe this president can fix these things, but failure might cause me to move. The overloaded ship will sink,” Ndume warned.

He likened the current situation to a ship at risk of capsizing under the weight of poor decisions and political opportunism. “As the president said, there is a vacancy in the ship. But if you overload the ship, it will probably capsize, and if it capsizes, you lose everybody,” he said.

Ndume also criticised the nature of recent defections to the APC, suggesting that many were driven not by principle but by opportunistic calculations. “Most people are not joining based on principles but due to the indirect stick-and-carrot politics. And that is not healthy at all,” he added.

Despite his critiques, Ndume expressed a lingering hope that Tinubu can still deliver on his promises. However, he made it clear that continued failure would force him to reconsider his loyalty to the ruling party.