ABUJA — Some House of Assembly candidates of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, from Zamfara, Plateau, Taraba and Jigawa states have defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC, and declared support for President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027.
The defectors announced their decision on Monday when they visited the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
Leader of the delegation, Dr Princess Aslam Aliyu Gambiyar from Zamfara State, said the group decided to leave the ADC because of its belief in Tinubu’s administration and the Renewed Hope Agenda.
She said the defectors were prepared to work with the APC towards Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.
Receiving the new members, Yilwatda welcomed them to the APC and urged them to return to their respective wards and begin grassroots mobilisation.
He said: “We have young people who are joining us in the progressive fold. I am happy that you resigned and presented your resignation letters to your wards. The job now is to go back to your wards and start work.”
The APC chairman also used the occasion to defend the Federal Government’s development efforts in Northern Nigeria, rejecting claims by opposition politicians that the region had been neglected.
Yilwatda cited ongoing road projects across the North, including sections of the Abuja-Kano-Maiduguri corridor, Jos-Akwanga, Kwara-Niger, Sokoto-Kebbi, Laila-Sokoto and Kano-Daura roads, among others.
He also defended the administration’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of fuel subsidy, arguing that reversing the policy could affect funding for infrastructure and other government programmes.
The APC chairman questioned whether a return to the former subsidy regime would affect projects in road construction, gas development and programmes such as the Nigeria Education Loan Fund, NELFUND.
Yilwatda said the economic challenges facing Nigerians should be addressed through reforms and measures aimed at expanding opportunities rather than reverting to policies he said had placed pressure on government finances.
He also argued that the APC and Tinubu administration had promoted political participation across regional and religious lines.
Yilwatda assured the defectors that their contributions would be recognised within the party, adding that their decision would be communicated to President Tinubu.
He also said he would recommend them to the governors in their respective states for consideration in grassroots mobilisation activities ahead of the 2027 elections.
The APC chairman urged the new members to begin work in their wards and communities, saying their defection should translate into active participation in the party’s activities.
The latest defections come amid continuing political realignments by parties, candidates and political groups ahead of the 2027 general elections.
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