Timi Frank, a former All Progressives Congress (APC) deputy national publicity secretary, has accused President Bola Tinubu of bullying and blackmailing five PDP governors into switching to the ruling party.
According to reports, Frank disclosed this information in a statement released on Wednesday, April 23, 2025.
He claimed that Tinubu is also threatening to declare a state of emergency in their states in order to deal with governors who do not agree with him.
Timi Frank emphasized that the next election should not be about the North or the South, but rather about who would handle the numerous issues facing the nation, and cautioned leaders in the north and south not to fall for Tinubu’s ploys to seize power in 2027.
He claimed to have escalated the situation by threatening, blackmailing, and coercing at least five Southern PDP governors and their National Assembly members into defecting to the APC.
Tinubu believes that he is up against the North in the 2027 election, which is why he is making a valiant effort to win over the South by deceit and deception. The fact that the North assisted him in gaining power in 2023 has already been forgotten.
“Nigerians are in need of a President who will help Nigeria become better, not ‘Northern candidate or Southern candidate’ or ‘Northern President or Southern President’.
“The nation is already overburdened with racial differences. As a result, we cannot afford to have a president who pits one area against another in order to further his own goals.
“As a Southerner, I, Timi Frank, don’t think a president should be divisive and tribalistic. I have faith in a leader who will bring Nigeria together instead of dividing it.
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“I urge everyone in the North who is still in favor of Tinubu to reconsider. They ought to be aware that the North, which ostensibly “assisted” Tinubu in assuming power in 2023, is currently suffering the most.
It is a known fact that Tinubu has severely neglected the north in appointments and other infrastructure development initiatives, putting his own and his tribe’s interests ahead of all else.
“The North ought to wake up for this reason. They ought to be aware that Tinubu’s political strategy for 2027 is not the greatest one for Nigeria. In 2027, they ought to stand up and speak with one voice.
“I want the Northern leaders to understand that if Tinubu regains power in 2027, the North will endure unimaginable neglect because Tinubu and the APC don’t truly care about them.”
“At least five opposition governors are expected to leave the APC as of right now, not because they like Tinubu, but rather as a result of severe political pressure, threats, and blackmail. Those who stay have been forced to sign pledges promising to turn over their states to Tinubu or risk losing their chances for a second term in office.”
