Ndume Warns: APC Heading for Implosion Amid ‘Empty Cargo’ Defections

Former Senate Leader Ali Ndume has issued one of his starkest warnings yet to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the party is hurtling toward self-destruction as opposition governors and lawmakers pour into its ranks without adding value.
Speaking Sunday night at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Annual Award Lecture in Abuja—where he was honoured as “Most Outstanding Legislator and Advocate of National Unity”—Ndume used his acceptance speech to deliver a blunt message: the APC is taking in too many defectors it cannot absorb.
“I have warned that the APC is becoming overloaded,” he said. “When you overload a ship, especially with mostly empty cargo, it risks capsizing. That is the situation we find ourselves in today.”
Ndume insisted no one in the APC has been lobbying opposition figures to defect, but argued that the collapse of rival parties—particularly the PDP—has turned the ruling party into a refuge for displaced politicians. The problem, he added, is that many of the new arrivals “contribute nothing.”
“Some of them join the APC and remain silent, doing nothing, even after being made automatic leaders of the party in their states,” he said. “It is like someone joining a church and immediately wanting to be pastor-in-charge. Naturally, this creates problems.”
The lawmaker warned that the influx is deepening confusion across Nigeria’s political landscape and could eventually tear the party apart.
In a candid critique of the current administration, Ndume reaffirmed his support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu but argued that many of those appointed to help him govern lack competence.
“One person cannot be the captain, player, goalkeeper, and striker all at once,” he said. “I once said—and many accused me of being abusive—that the government is overloaded with kakistocrats and kleptocrats. We must clear them out so we can move forward.”
Still, he urged Nigerians to rally behind the president, saying Tinubu “is willing to listen” and remains sincere about his campaign promises.
Earlier, Dame Uche Azikiwe, widow of Nigeria’s first president, praised the organisers of the annual award for keeping alive the legacy of Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe. She challenged today’s leaders to emulate the patriotism and selflessness of First Republic statesmen.
“They are long gone, but their legacies live on,” she said. “Leaders of the First Republic were selfless—not like leaders we have now who are bothered about their pockets. I am always happy when people say good things about Zik and what he did.”