Political realignment is gathering momentum in Anambra State ahead of the 2027 general elections, with reports of some members of the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) moving to the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
The development has triggered fresh political commentary in the state, with one social media reaction declaring: “APGA members in Anambra State defect to NDC. Someone should pray for Soludo.”
The statement appears to reference the growing movement of politicians and supporters away from APGA, although the scale of the reported defections has not been independently established.
One of the more prominent defections was that of Chief Ebuka Onunkwo, a former APGA senatorial aspirant from Anambra South.
Onunkwo joined the NDC after failing to secure the APGA ticket and subsequently emerged as the NDC candidate for the Anambra South senatorial contest.
Tribune reported in May that Onunkwo's move was accompanied by indications that some of his supporters and other party members were considering joining him in the NDC.
More recent reporting in September also indicated that APGA members, alongside politicians and supporters from other parties, were reportedly backing Onunkwo's NDC candidacy in Anambra South.
Despite the defections, APGA remains the governing party in Anambra State.
Governor Chukwuma Soludo has continued to defend the party's political relevance and recently said APGA had provided a platform through which several Igbo politicians rose to prominence.
Soludo also stated that APGA intended to work with the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the presidential level in 2027 while seeking to retain its National Assembly and state Assembly seats in Anambra.
The governor's position comes amid a changing political landscape in which the NDC, APC and other opposition parties are seeking to expand their structures in the state.
The NDC has attracted several prominent politicians from Anambra and the wider South-East ahead of 2027.
In May, Senator Victor Umeh, who represents Anambra Central, defected from the African Democratic Congress (ADC) to the NDC, citing consultations with stakeholders before making the move.
The development followed the emergence of Peter Obi as the NDC's presidential candidate, further increasing attention on the party's organisation in Anambra, where Obi previously served as governor.
The reported movement of APGA members toward opposition platforms is likely to remain an important issue in Anambra's political calculations ahead of 2027.
However, individual defections or reported support for opposition candidates do not by themselves establish that APGA's wider structure has collapsed.
There are also competing claims about political movements in the state. For example, Anambra APC chairman Emma Anosike said in June that members of APGA, ADC and NDC were themselves defecting to the APC, illustrating the fluid nature of party politics in the state.
The competing movements suggest that Anambra's political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections remains highly fluid.
For Soludo and APGA, the immediate challenge will be maintaining party cohesion and retaining political support as rival parties seek to attract dissatisfied members and influential politicians.
For the opposition parties, the challenge will be turning individual defections and cross-party support into sustained grassroots organisation.
With the 2027 elections approaching, Anambra is therefore emerging as another major battleground for Nigeria's expanding political realignment.
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