“We are set to win elections in this local government; we are set to win in this zone; we are set to win the election in Niger State,” Usman declared.
John Adams, Minna
Major political setbacks have hit both the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Niger State following mass defections of their members.
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While the immediate past state chairman of the PDP Alhaji Abdulraheem Enagi, led about 2,000 of his supporters to join the APC in the state, no fewer than 3,000 youths from Edati local government also dumped the APC for PDP, citing lack of focus of the APC government as their main reason.
In a well attended and carnival-like ceremony in Enagi, Edati Local Government Area, Enagi, who was a member of the PDP gubernatorial campaign committee of Umar Mohammed Nasko, said his decision to dump the party he chaired for eight years was due to some irreconcilable differences.
Enagi who lost the PDP senatorial ticket to the former member of House of Representatives, Alhaji Baba Shehu Agaie, told the crowd that he was convinced with the developmental programme of the incumbent governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello led-administration in the state.
Addressing a crowd, Alhaji Enagi pointed out that he left the PDP with his supporters to identify with the governor’s rural development programme.
“My decision is to join the government to develop the rural areas, bring more dividends of democracy to my local government area and the state as a whole.”
Apart from the 2,000 strong members of his supporters, he predicted that “more youths will defect to the APC before the general elections.”
Enagi however, advised the people to desist from posting “hate speeches” against the Sarkin Samari because he left the PDP for the APC.
Chairman of the APC in the local government, Alhaji Suleiman Usman, who received the former PDP chieftain, described Enagi’s defection as “a blessing.”
“We are set to win elections in this local government; we are set to win in this zone; we are set to win the election in Niger State,” Usman declared.
However, while the former PDP chairman was making his declaration for the APC, no fewer than 3,000 youth members of APC from the local government also dumped the ruling party.
The youths were led by the Sarkin Matasa of Enagi and were received by the state Secretary of the PDP, Alhaji Suleiman Zhigu, and the zonal Vice Chairman, Alhaji Bala Katcha.
The decampees said they left the APC because the erstwhile chairman, Alhaji Enagi, joined the APC, saying that they didn’t want to have anything to do with the former chairman of the opposition party.