Mass defection grips APC now

Twenty-three members of Kwara state house of assembly have left the All Progressives Congress (APC) to join the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

President Buhari

This comes after the Senate President Bukola Saraki and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed dumped the ruling party for the opposition party.

The speaker of the assembly, Dr. Ali Ahmad said “All the honorable members except one have finally changed party to the PDP.”

“This is permitted by the Proviso to Section 109(1)(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” Ahmad said.

He alleged that APC in the state has been “fictionalised”.

“In 2014, I was terribly sad leaving PDP reluctantly with 36 other members of the House of Representatives. Today, I am the happiest leaving the APC for good.

I wish I was never a member of the party. Today, as I and other members of the Kwara State Assembly dump the APC for good, I heaved a sigh of relief.” Ahmad said

Ahmad noted that only the member representing Ojomu/Balogun Constituency of Offa Local Government Area, Saheed Popoola, remains in APC.

Also, the National publicity secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Bolaji Abdullahi has resigned from the party.

Abdullahi announced his resignation hours after denying his exit from the party.

He said, “In the last few days i have had to endure the flagrant usurpation of my role as a spokesman of the party in a manner that i consider unbefiting of a ruling party and inconsistent with my ethical standards.”

“However, in a situation whereby my loyalty is constantly brought into question; my subordinates deployed to subvert my office; and my views constantly second-guessed on the basis of my political affiliation, it has become imperative for me to review my position.

“In view of recent political developments in the country and within the All Progressives Congress (APC), I have decided to resign my position as the National Publicity Secretary as well as my membership of the party with effect from today.” Abdullahi said in a statement.

Before his official resignation, APC’s opposition, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had welcomed him to the party, but Abdullahi debunked the claims, saying “I came through the front door and will not go through the back door.”

“It is not true that I have resigned and let me emphasise that there is no iota of truth in that report,” Abdullahi said on Tuesday.

Political observers said Abdullahi’s resignation was expected, with insinuations of him being a “loyalist” to senate president Bukola Saraki who left the APC for PDP.

Abdullahi was minister of youth and sports under the Goodluck Jonathan administration. He assumed office as APC national publicity secretary in January 2018.

In the same vein, Sokoto state governor Aminu Tambuwal, has left Nigeria’s ruling party All Progressives Congress (APC), to the opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The governor announced his exit from the ruling party to the opposition party on Wednesday at a press conference at the Sokoto government house.

“I have consulted widely especially with the people of Sokoto and they have confidently assured me of my next political move. I hereby defect officially to the @OfficialPDPNig,” Tambuwal posted on his Twitter handle.

Tambuwal announced his defection a day after he called on Nigerians to reject what he described as “prison-yard democracy”.

Speculation is rife that the former Speaker of the House of Representative wants to run for the presidential seat in February 2019.

Tambuwal was a member of PDP before he defected to the APC in 2014. He contested as the governor of Sokoto under APC in 2015. His return to PDP has been welcomed by the party in a post on Twitter.

The Sokoto Governor becomes the third governor to defect from the ruling APC party after Benue state governor Samuel Ortom and Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara state joined PDP.

Meanw3hile, Nigeria’s ambassador to South Africa, Ahmed Ibeto has resigned and renounced his membership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to join opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Ibeto was a deputy governor of Niger State on the platform of PDP in 2015. He was appointed an ambassador and posted to South Africa by President Muhammed Buhari in 2017.

He was reported to have arrived Nigeria from Pretoria during the weekend and submitted his letter of resignation at the Ministry of External Affairs on Monday.

But it was not reported if he met President Muhammadu Buhari before his visit to Togo.

According to sources, the former deputy governor was received by over 1,000 supporters in Minna. A source close to Ibeto told said he would join governorship race immediately he registered with PDP.

Ibeto was a member of the PDP until the primary election of the party in November 2014, during which he lost the governorship ticket to Umar Nasko, a former Chief of Staff to ex-governor Babangida Aliyu.

He resigned his membership of the PDP along with thousands of his supporters after complaining about “the injustice” melted to him by the then ruling party.