The All Progressives Congress (APC) has gained more members after four Kaduna State House of Assembly lawmakers and five House of Representatives members, along with thousands of supporters, defected at a mega rally on Saturday.
The APC now has 13 legislators from Kaduna State in the House of Representatives, compared to the PDP’s three. Additionally, the APC now has 26 members in the House of Assembly, while the PDP has eight.
The APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas; and Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, as well as the Chairman of the North West Development Commission, Lawal Yakawada, and thousands of APC supporters, attended the mega rally in Kaduna’s Murtala Square.
Speaking at the occasion, Governor Uba Sani informed the decampees that the APC is one family that does not discriminate against its members, adding that “those who have joined our party today and those who have been with us since the formation of this party will have the same privilege.”
“What is more important is your ability to reach out to the grassroots, to carry everyone along, particularly the people of the constituency who elected you, who gave you the opportunity to represent them,’’ he added.
Sani recalled that APC had only four members of the House of Representatives in 2023, but the party now has 14 members in the lower legislative chamber.
“Today in Kaduna, we don’t have any opposition. I promised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu some months ago that we were looking at 80 percent of the votes. But today, I have shifted my ground; about 95 percent of the total votes in Kaduna State will go to APC in 2027,’’ he said.
According to him, the influx of elected members into the APC in Kaduna State is not surprising given his administration’s emphasis on justice, fairness, and inclusivity.
“Our state is the most diverse in Nigeria. When we came in, we made sure that we used our diversity as our strength. That is why today, we have not experienced one single ethno-religious crisis in Kaduna State. It’s unprecedented.
“We are working as one family. We believe politics is about unity. It’s about working for the interests of the people. Poverty has no respect for religion. Poverty has no respect for ethnicity. Poverty has no respect for political affiliation. We have to work as one family. Our interest is our state,’’ he added.
The governor stated that Kaduna State has 23 local governments, and he has dispersed development across the three geopolitical zones.
Speaking at the ceremony, Nentawe described the APC as “the promised land” for Nigerian politicians, claiming that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani deserve a second term based on their achievements.
House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas stated that the APC has achieved political domination in Kaduna State, an achievement that no other party has ever accomplished in the state.
“Today, whether in Zone 1, Zone 2, or Zone 3, APC is the party to beat,” he declared to the mammoth crowd, adding that “we’ve never been this strong before.”
Honourable Husseini Jalo, speaking on behalf of the decampers, commended Sani and President Bola Tinubu for their exemplary leadership in the country and state.
According to him, Kaduna State is now a one-party state, and both the president and Sani will be re-elected for a second term.
Sadiq Ango, who represents the Sabon Gari federal seat; Andulkarim Husseini Ahmad (Kaduna South); Aliyu Mustapha Abdullahi (Ikara/Kubau); and Hussaini Jalo (Igabi) are among the federal legislators that defected from the PDP to the APC.
Other noteworthy defectors include former Senators Danjuma Lah (PDP), Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi (NNPP), and Shehu Sani (PDP), as well as former Governor Muktar Ramalan Yero and Hon. Saidu Adamu, the PDP’s State Secretary.
