Former Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, a well-known media entrepreneur and politician, has officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), a move that has been hailed by the Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo.1
Ben Murray-Bruce’s defection, announced in a statement on his social media pages, is a significant political development, as he was previously a prominent voice and vocal critic of the APC, especially during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.2
In his statement, Murray-Bruce explained his decision by citing his confidence in President Bola Tinubu’s leadership and the administration’s economic and institutional reforms.3 He described Tinubu as a visionary leader who “truly understands finance” and is implementing “painful but necessary reforms” that are the “foundation of tomorrow’s prosperity.”4
He praised several of the Tinubu administration’s initiatives, including:
- The deregulation of the fuel subsidy, which he said would prevent future fuel scarcity.5
- The professional restructuring of the Central Bank of Nigeria, which he said is stabilizing the economy and restoring the dignity of the Naira.6
- Security reforms that are “quietly and systematically dismantling” insecurity.7
- An “unprecedented” infrastructural drive.
Murray-Bruce stated that his decision to join the APC was not for “politics” but for “progress,” and he expressed his belief that under a full eight-year tenure, Nigeria would experience “phenomenal growth.”8
While there is no direct quote from Festus Keyamo praising the defection, the move is part of a larger trend of high-profile defections from the opposition to the ruling party, which has been described by some as a “Hurricane Tinubu.”9 The mass defections are seen as a strategic political realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections and have raised fears of a one-party state in Nigeria.10
