Barely 24 hours after the emergence of new leadership for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna, the party suffered a setback as 10,000 supporters of Senator Shehu Sani defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Sani, who represented Kaduna Central senatorial district during the 8th Assembly (2015 to 2019), was a PDP gubernatorial aspirant in the 2023 general elections.
His supporters, who came from the 23 local government areas of Kaduna State, stormed the APC Campaign Office at NEPA Roundabout, carrying posters of Senator Sani and welcoming him back to the APC.
According to the supporters, they came to the office to inform the ruling party that they have abandoned the PDP and are now returning to the APC.
The supporters are now calling on their leader, Senator Shehu Sani, to rejoin the ruling party, expressing confidence that he will officially defect to the APC in the coming week.
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One of the leaders among the defectors, Mr. Monday Jaji, a former Campaign Director for Senator Sani in the PRP, stated that he has been advocating for Sani’s return for over two years because of his track record of achievements while serving as Senator for Kaduna Central on the platform of the APC.
Commenting on the defection, Jaji noted that he understands what the APC and Nigerians lost when Sani left the ruling party, adding that Shehu Sani is a man of the masses who stands for the truth.
He said, “When he was a Senator, Comrade Shehu Sani built seven hospitals across his constituency, distributed over 200 transformers to communities, assisted the poor, and even purchased a house for destitute individuals on Kano Road. Shehu Sani built a hospital in Chikun and three in Igabi Local Government—Rigachikun and Giwa Local Government.”
Receiving the defectors, the Kaduna State Chairman of the APC, Air Commodore Emmanuel Jekada (Rtd), expressed happiness about their return, stating that their joining the party will propel the APC and Kaduna State to greater heights.
It was gathered that the opposition party (PDP), which had earlier lost some prominent figures to the ruling party, is troubled by the wave of defections, as more lawmakers who lost their return tickets to the National Assembly during the last elections are set to leave the party.
