Politics
Thousands of PDP, NNPP, LP,PRP Supporters Decamp To APC In Abuja
By Abubakar Yunusa
Over 6,000 supporters of the PDP, NNPP, Labour Party, People’s Redemption Party (PRP), and Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) have dumped their parties for the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Director-General of the Confederation of All Progressives Congress Support Groups (CASG), Engineer Prof. Kailani Muhammad, disclosed this during the decamping ceremony in Abuja on Thursday.
According to him, this action by these esteemed Nigerians might be taken lightly, but to political analysts, the action is a sign of fundamental discernment that the positive narratives attached to democratic enshrinement and development are taking root deeply in Nigeria.
He said, without mincing words, “I will state here categorically that the event of receiving these Nigerians into the APC fold is a clear signal and an indication that Nigerians are waking up to the reality that the APC is the only party that offers hope in its renewed hope agenda to the Nigerian populace.”
Kailani said the task ahead is enormous, the landscape rugged. This is so because certain peculiarities have clouded our political horizon over the decades, such that it takes synergistic courage to dare the challenges. But all these obstacles are surmountable.
“We are assuring Nigerians that they are surmountable because the APC – President Bola Tinubu-led government has drawn up strategies that will surmount the issues threatening the march towards our desired socio-economic and political development.
“With the human resources at the party’s disposal and the commitment of President Bola Tinubu’s government, we assure Nigerians that, armed with the templates for our economic rejigging and reviving our security architecture, Nigeria will come out better.
While assuring the decampees, he said, “We shall build a nation that all of us will be proud of, together and with the contributions and commitment of each and every one.
“We are going to strengthen institutions that will work for Nigeria and position her on the path of development as a legacy to our children and generations yet unborn.
“Be steadfast and consistent. Nigeria is a great country. What is lacking to propel us forward is the political will. Political leadership failure has brought us to our knees begging for redemption. But redemption lives within ourselves.
“If we sincerely wake up, realize, and retreat our steps, and make sincere adjustments, God will listen. We cannot be making the same mistakes again and again and expect different results.
Nigeria has a great opportunity to extricate itself from the shackles of underdevelopment through the Bola Tinubu Presidency. We have no alternative but to encourage this rare opportunity by our individual and corporate commitment and support for his government.
Announcing their resignation, they said they joined the APC due to the type of purposeful leadership that has been provided by President Tinubu and its Governors in piloting the affairs of Nigeria since assumption of office.
Senator Shehu Sani has downplayed ex-governor Nasir El-Rufai’s defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying the move won’t impact the ruling party’s fortune in the coming elections billed for 2027.
El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna State on Monday left the APC, a party he was a founding member, and pitched his tent with the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in a move pundits believe will change the political texture of the country.
But Sani, who is also from Kaduna like El-Rufai, believes the former Minister of the FCT holds no political relevance.
“Well, first of all, for those of us from Kaduna State, it [his defection] is a good riddance because he stands as a liability to the party in the state,” the former Kaduna Central senator said on Monday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today, citing the APC’s losses under El-Rufai.
“I can back this with facts. In 2015, APC had two senators. By 2023, all the senatorial zones were taken over by PDP. Out of the 14 House of Representatives seats in Kaduna State, by the time he left [office as governor], almost nine of the seats were won by PDP, two by the Labour Party, and then three by APC. With him as a governor, the APC also lost the presidential election in Kaduna State.”
El-Rufai had cited the party’s departure from progressive ideals as his reason for defection.
“At this point in my political journey, I have come to the conclusion that I must seek another political platform for the pursuit of the progressive values I cherish,” the former governor said.
The former FCT minister was a founding member of the ruling party. He was instrumental to APC’s victory in the 2015, 2019, and 2023 presidential elections. His relationship with the party, however, soured after he was not screened for a ministerial role.
But Sani, who recently returned to the APC, accused El-Rufai of destabilizing the party and believes his defection offers an opportunity for the APC to rebuild and come out stronger.
“So, you can see that by the time he left, already the party was an unpopular platform in the state. So his exit now is an opportunity,” the APC chieftain said.
“For the governor and party leaders of the state to embrace the people of the state and to reconfigure and reset the party towards the next election.”
President Bola Tinubu is currently observing the breaking of the fast (Iftar) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. He is joined by Rivers State Governor Sim Fubara, his estranged godfather and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, alongside other governors, ministers, and heads of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).
More details to follow shortly.
Politics
2027: Aregbesola, Fayemi and Others Poised to Join SDP as Obi and Atiku Factions Forge Alliance – Insider Report
Recent reports indicate that Rauf Aregbesola, the former Governor of Osun State, and Kayode Fayemi, the former Governor of Ekiti State, are currently in negotiations to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Additionally, sources reveal that former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, along with former Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Adamu, discontented members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and several ex-Ministers from President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration are also considering a move to the SDP.
This development occurs amid ongoing discussions regarding a coalition among opposition parties, aimed at presenting a united front to challenge President Bola Tinubu and the APC in the upcoming 2027 elections.
According to insider information, the coalition will likely include Atiku Abubakar’s faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi’s faction of the Labour Party (LP), and Nasir El-Rufai, who has recently defected to the SDP.
The opposition parties are reportedly strategising to unite under an existing registered party. However, should they fail to reach a consensus on a common platform within the party they wish to join, they may opt to align with the SDP instead, as per sources cited by our correspondent.
It is noteworthy that Kola Ologbondiyan, the former National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, has suggested that talks of a merger among opposition politicians are gaining momentum. During a recent appearance on the AIT Focus programme, Ologbondiyan expressed optimism that the opposition would present initiatives that could inspire hope among Nigerians.
The former PDP spokesperson asserted that defeating the current government would be achievable, given the proposals that opposition leaders are preparing to unveil.