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Tag: Mass defection

  • 2023: Mass defection hits APC, as members run to PDP, SDP

    2023: Mass defection hits APC, as members run to PDP, SDP

    Many politicians within the ranks of All Progressives Congress (APC) in at least 12 states have started defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party and the Social Democratic Party ahead of the primaries which begin next month.

    With party primaries set for May 2022, APC factions who have lost out have started defecting in their numbers to rivals PDP and SDP.

    The crisis began last year as fallout of the party congresses in the states which led to the emergence of factions.

    Sokoto State House of Assembly, Aminu Achida, and the Deputy Chief Whip, Alhaji Murtala Maigona, who have been engaged in a feud with a former Governor of Sokoto, Senator Aliyu Wamakko, have both defected to the PDP following Adamu’s decision to recognise Wamakko’s faction.

    Recall that Adamu had ordered the APC legal team to withdraw all cases from the Court of Appeal and obey all subsisting High Court judgments instead.

    This decision was not well received in some states including in Akwa Ibom where the faction loyal to the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, was inaugurated to the chagrin of erstwhile Caretaker Secretary, Senator John Akpanudoedehe, who is now accusing Adamu of disregarding an order of the Court of Appeal that the status quo be maintained.

    Meanwhile the faction in Kwara State loyal to the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, defected to the SDP.

    In Zamfara State, a former Governor, Abdul’Aziz Yari; an ex-lawmaker, Senator Kabiru Mafara; and other top APC members have almost finalised plans to join the PDP.

    Briefing journalists in Gusau on Sunday, the PDP chairman, Colonel Bala Mande (retd.), said the party had received Yari, Marafa and other top APC members who have joined the party together with their supporters.

    In his words “Gentlemen of the press, we have called you to brief you on the joining of our great party the PDP by former Governor Yari, Senator Kabiru Mafara and their supporters. They have joined us, we have reached an agreement and we are going to implement the agreement.

    “We have agreed to be together in one party, the PDP and work together for the success of the party. We have also agreed to work extra hard in order to reclaim Zamfara State in 2023 and save its people from the present their predicament. I have given the stakeholders a complete update of where we are as a result of this development.”

    The chairman maintained that, Yari, Marafa and other top APC members would be officially received in Gusau in a colourful ceremony.

     

  • 2023: APC rejects Saraki’s mass defection ‘prophecy’, says party is solid

    2023: APC rejects Saraki’s mass defection ‘prophecy’, says party is solid

    The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has reacted to claims by former Senate President Bukola Saraki that the party will soon witness mass defection of key players to the main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2023 general elections.

    TheNewsGuru.com, TNG reports that the former Kwara governor said a former governor and some bigwigs in the ruling party were set to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Saraki revealed this in an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday. He also debunked insinuations that he might return to APC.

    His words: “There were certain governors that we already know that will leave. And we were not surprised that they defected to the APC. Since then, we have had some bigwigs that joined us. Also this week, there is a former governor that is going to join our party, the PDP.

    “Aside from that, we know that some of the leaders in the ruling party will not defect early; rather, they will do it late. You saw that during the 2015 elections.

    “So, keep watching. Nigerians will not be surprised when they begin to see some defections from the ruling party to the PDP.”

    But the APC in a swift reaction said Saraki was only voicing a mere wishful thinking.

    The National Secretary of APC Caretaker Extra-Ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Senator John James Akpanudoedehe, said Saraki was only imagining things.

    “As a political party, we don’t play to the gallery with opposition. We always speak the truth, especially when we are replying to a friend who can still join our party. Mind you, he (Senator Saraki) was one of the founding members of our party, who left for PDP because of power struggle.”

    Puncturing Saraki’s statement on the impending mass defections, Akpanudoedehe said: “I want Nigerians to wait and see if what he says will come to pass. Some politicians are forum seekers. They jump from one place to another. All I will say is that Nigerians should watch and see if his (Saraki) prophesy will come to pass or not.

    “APC is solid. The speculation of the gale of defections is best described as his (Saraki) imagination.”