A former spokesman to ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Segun Sowunmi, says he would have switched camp to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) if he wanted to.

Sowunmi, a chieftain of the PDP, made the comment in an interview on Channels TV in reaction to rife rumors that he has decamped to the ruling APC.

Recall that Sowunmi paid a visit to President Bola Tinubu on June 8 in what many described as a political switch.

“If I wanted to decamp to the APC, I would have done that, but not at this time. I’m still a member of the PDP,” he said.

Sowunmi explained that his handshake with Tinubu, whom he has known since 1994, was wrongly interpreted by some Nigerians as a sign of defection.

“It was actually a little confusing because after that handshake with the president, a number of people thought I was switching sides. Nigerians are funny people. I’ve been standing at this party since 1998.

“I have one handshake, one visit to the president, whom I’ve known for decades, and you think I’m going to just leave my party? No, it doesn’t work that way,” he said.

The Ogun-born politician, who was a governorship aspirant in the 2023 PDP primaries, noted that after nearly three decades of Nigeria’s democratic journey, the focus should shift from party rivalry to building consensus on national development.

“After about 27 years in democracy, and I have been very active, it gets to a point where you start asking the question: is this democracy even working? Why are the people unhappy? Beyond all the criticism, can we just start agreeing on some things? Otherwise, they should start leaving us behind,” he said.

Sowunmi disclosed that his discussion with the president revolved around four key issues, including insecurity in the North, the economic hardship resulting from recent government policies, and political developments in Rivers State.

“I was concerned about Rivers, and he explained some things which made sense. I was concerned about insecurity in the North—people were just dying—and he had something to say about it. I told him I had seen where he’s going with the policies, but was worried about the knock-on effect on the people,” he added.