Several chieftains of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Nasarawa State have defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defectors, led by the immediate past PDP Vice Chairman for Nasarawa North, Shemmy Mashi, were received by Governor Abdullahi Sule at the Government House on Tuesday, NEWSNGR reports.
Mashi, who said he had been an active member of the PDP since 1999, explained that he and his supporters decided to leave the opposition party because of what they described as the leadership and development recorded under Sule’s administration.
He was accompanied by other former PDP officials, including a former youth leader, Yahaya Jobe; a former party elder from Karu, Akuson Philip; and a former woman leader, Christiana Ondah.
Speaking during the visit, Mashi said the delegation represented only a small number of the PDP members and supporters who had decided to join the APC.
He thanked Sule for receiving them and pledged the support of the defectors and their followers to the governor’s administration.
Mashi said his decision to leave the PDP was based on his assessment of the leadership and development efforts of the Sule administration.
Earlier, the Commissioner for Sports and Youth Development, Kwanta Yakubu, who introduced the delegation, described the defection as part of a growing trend involving politicians who had previously remained outside the APC.
Yakubu attributed the development to the administration’s infrastructure projects and its approach to governance, saying these had continued to attract people from different political parties.
He said the growing support showed that the governor’s policies and projects were gaining acceptance across political divides in the state.
Responding, Sule welcomed the former PDP leaders and their supporters into the APC, noting that their visit came barely a day after he received another former PDP leader, Hajiya Farida Umar.
The governor also recalled that a similar visit had taken place about a week earlier when another former national officer of the PDP, Mohammed Sani, visited him.
Sule said the series of defections showed that his administration was gaining increasing support among politicians who had previously belonged to opposition parties.
He, however, stressed that Nasarawa State belonged to everyone, regardless of political affiliation.
The governor said the benefits of governance under his administration were not restricted to APC members, adding that all residents of the state were entitled to enjoy the dividends of democracy.
Sule listed roads, hospitals, schools and industries among the areas where his administration had invested to improve the lives of residents.
He also highlighted the government’s economic initiatives, including the “Diamond in the Rough” investment summit and the more recent “Renaissance” summit, saying the programmes were designed to attract investment and create opportunities for people across the state.
The governor commended the defectors for their decision to join the APC and assured them of his administration’s cooperation as it continued to pursue its development agenda.
He said the government would remain focused on delivering projects and policies capable of improving the lives of residents, irrespective of their political affiliations.
