More than 50,000 members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and other parties have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba.
A member of the National Board of Trustees of APC, Prof. Dalhatu Sangari, received the defectors in Wukari at a grand ceremony.
Sangari said that the defectors came from the 52 political wards in southern senatorial zone of the state.
He said that the occasion was a major milestone in the party’s efforts to take over leadership in the state as the defection was unprecedented and unique.
“Today, a new chapter is opened in our great party here in Taraba.
“With great pleasure, we receive more than 50,000 persons mostly from the ruling PDP and other political parties who have seen reasons to join ranks with the party of the future.
“The APC is the future. People with foresight don’t need to be told the direction to follow. That is why we are witnessing this phenomenal influx into the party today.
“Let me assure all others who are still having reservations that the APC in Taraba is big enough to accommodate everyone.
“We have learnt our lessons from our previous outings and have put our house in order ready to take over power and deliver dividends of democracy to the people who have been denied this for too long now,” Sangari said.
One of the defectors, retired Gen. Adamu Ibrahim, said his decision to move to APC from the United Democratic Party (UDP) was because he was in APC initially and left because of perceived injustice.
“But I am now convinced that the party is ready to offer level playing ground for everyone,’’ he said.
Ibrahim said that as the leader of late Sen. Aisha Alhassan faction that left APC to join the UDP in 2019, he had collapsed the entire structure and membership of UDP.
He said that he had brought all the members of UDP into the APC to boost the chances of the party in attaining it’s goals in 2023 and beyond.