From: Femi Oyelola, Kaduna
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has gained more members following the defection of four Kaduna State House of Assembly lawmakers and five House of Representatives members, alongside thousands of their supporters, at a mega rally held on Saturday.
With these recent defections, the APC now has 13 legislators from Kaduna State in the House of Representatives, leaving the PDP with just three members. In the House of Assembly, the APC boasts 26 members compared to the eight from the PDP.
The mega rally, which took place at Murtala Square in Kaduna, was attended by APC National Chairman Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, Minister of Environment, Alhaji Balarabe Abbas Lawal, Chairman of the North West Development Commission, Alhaji Lawal Samaila Yakawada, and thousands of APC supporters.
During the event, Governor Uba Sani assured the new members that the APC is a united family that does not discriminate against its members, stating, “Those who have joined our party today and those who have been with us since the inception of this party will have the same privileges.”
He emphasized the importance of reaching out to constituents, saying, “What matters most is your ability to engage with the grassroots and to include everyone, particularly the people in your constituency who elected you and provided you the opportunity to represent them.”
The Governor noted that when APC began, there were only four members in the House of Representatives; however, the party has now expanded to 14 members in that chamber.
“Today in Kaduna, we have no opposition. I promised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu a few months ago that we were aiming for 80 percent of the votes. But today, I am confident that about 95 percent of the total votes in Kaduna State will go to the APC in 2027,” he stated.
According to him, the recent influx of elected officials into the APC is attributed to his administration’s focus on justice, fairness, and inclusivity.
“Our state is the most diverse in Nigeria. When we took office, we ensured that we leveraged our diversity as a strength. That is why we have not experienced a single ethno-religious crisis in Kaduna State; it’s unprecedented.”
He added, “We are working as one family. We believe politics is about unity and serving the interests of the people. Poverty does not respect religion, ethnicity, or political affiliation. We must work as one family for the interests of our state.”
The Governor pointed out that Kaduna State consists of 23 local governments, and he has ensured development is distributed across the three geopolitical zones.
In his speech, Professor Nentawe referred to the APC as “the promised land” for Nigerian politicians, asserting that both President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani deserve a second term due to their accomplishments.
House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas noted that the APC has attained political dominance in Kaduna State, a level of success no party has historically achieved in the region. “Today, whether in Zone 1, Zone 2, or Zone 3, the APC is the party to beat,” he stated to the huge crowd, adding that “we have never been this strong before.”
