By Sadiq Abubakar, Abuja.
A former chairmanship aspirant in 2019, chairmanship election Abaji area council, on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Salihu Gimba, and 729 members of the party have defected to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the area.
Among those that also defected were former councilor for Agyana/Pandagi ward, John Joshua, former councilorship aspirants for Yaba and Rimba/Ebagi wards of the council, Hussaini Adagba and Bandile Tupa respectively.
The former chairmanship aspirant, while speaking on behalf of the defectors, said he led the 729 APC members across the ten wards into PDP, noting that such move came as lack of internal democracy in APC.
He claimed that the ruling APC was not organised, saying the PDP was more organized and has achieved a lot in terms of developmental projects during the reigns of 16 years of PDPs rule.
Receiving the defectors, the state PDP chairman, Sunday Zaka, represented by the state vice chairman, Alhaji Mahmud Muhammad, said the entire PDP family in the FCT were happy to receive the former chairmanship aspirant and 720 APC members into PDP folds.
He assured the defectors of equal treatment, saying PDP is a party that will continue to accommodate other party members into its folds and give them equal treatment.
On his part, the PDP chairmanship candidate for the February 12, 2022 council election in the area, Alhaji Yahaya Garba Gawu, also commended the defectors for taking bold decision to pitch their tent with the PDP.
He said urged them not to entertain any fear of rigging the election in favor of the APC during the election, saying “I want you to discard that motion that if PDP wins, they will take it by force. It is a lie,” he said.
Global Times Nigeria correspondent report that the event also witnessed the presentation of PDP membership cards to the defectors.
The event also witnessed the present of the house of representatives member for Abuja South federal constituency, Hon Hassan Usman Sokodabo, state PDP executives, PDP Stalwarts from the ten wards of the council.
