Defection influx: Kaduna Gov welcomes Ex-Gov Yero, Shehu Sani, La’ah, Hunkuyi, others to APC
…PDP’s Tambuwal reacts, says defections driven by ’stomach infrastructure’
…As Sen. Lawal Adamu mocks APC for celebrating ‘political paperweights’
By Austine Agbo Emmanuel, Kaduna
In what has been described as a political tsunami, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has received a wave of defectors from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), further tilting the state’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Among the notable figures who abandoned the PDP ship were former Kaduna State Governor, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero; former Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani; two-term Senator for Kaduna South, Danjuma La’ah; and former Kaduna North Senatorial representative and 2023 governorship candidate under the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Suleiman Hunkuyi.
Others who switched allegiance include former House of Representatives member, Sani Shaaban; former National Organising Secretary of the PDP, Abubakar Mustapha; and former Nigerian Ambassador to South Korea, Ambassador Sule Buba, among several other party stalwarts.
In total, over 50 prominent opposition figures and 200,000 supporters reportedly joined the APC in what has been described as a grand political realignment in the state.
The defection rally, held at the historic Murtala Square in Kaduna, was a carnival-like event where Governor Sani declared that the growing acceptance of the APC was a testament to its leadership both at the state and federal levels.
He assured the defectors of full integration into the party, while rallying APC members to remain steadfast ahead of the 2027 elections.
“In 2027, from top to bottom, the APC will sweep the polls. Our leader, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will be re-elected, and the party will win at the state level in the governorship, National Assembly, and state assembly elections,” Governor Sani declared amid cheers from party faithful.
However, the opposition PDP has dismissed the mass defection, describing it as a gathering of politicians driven by selfish interests rather than a genuine commitment to governance.
Former Governor of Sokoto State and Senator representing Sokoto South, Aminu Tambuwal, derided the defectors, attributing their exit to what he termed ‘stomach infrastructure,’ euphemism for personal gain over public service.
“People leave parties for different reasons, but lately, the trend has been clear. Defections are no longer about the interest of the people but about personal survival.
“Any politician with a conscience cannot join the APC at a time when its policies have plunged Nigerians into unprecedented hardship,” Tambuwal stated at a PDP North-West Zonal meeting in Kaduna.
Senator Lawal Adamu Usman, representing Kaduna Central, also scoffed at the defections, describing the new APC entrants as political ‘paperweights’ with little electoral value.
“These are people who could not win their polling units. APC is celebrating a rented crowd while ignoring the reality on the ground. Even Governor Uba Sani himself could not cast his vote at his polling station during the last elections,” Usman said.
Meanwhile, the PDP North-West has vowed to reclaim its stronghold and wrest power from the APC in 2027.
In a communique read by North-West Zonal Chairman, Alhaji Bello Gwarzo, the party reaffirmed its commitment to providing quality leadership and repositioning itself for electoral victory.
