Several House of Assembly candidates of the African Democratic Congress have defected to the All Progressives Congress, declaring their support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Renewed Hope Agenda ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The defectors are from Zamfara, Plateau, Taraba and Jigawa states.
Representatives of the group paid a courtesy visit to the APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
The delegation was led by Dr Princess Aslam Aliyu Gambiyar from Zamfara State.
Gambiyar said the defectors had become convinced that Tinubu was the candidate they believed could take Nigeria forward under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
She said the conviction informed their decision to leave the ADC and join the APC to support the President’s bid for a second term in office.
Receiving the defectors, Yilwatda welcomed them to the APC and commended their decision.
The APC chairman said the new members should return to their respective wards and begin grassroots mobilisation.
“We have young people who are joining us in the progressive fold. I am happy that you resigned and presented your resignation letters to your wards. The job now is to go back to your wards and start work,” he said.
Yilwatda said the defectors would be given a platform to contribute to the party and the country.
He also addressed claims by opposition politicians concerning the Federal Government’s commitment to the development of Northern Nigeria.
The APC chairman cited several ongoing infrastructure projects across the region, including the Abuja-Kano-Maiduguri corridor, the coastal road, Jos-Akwanga, Kwara-Niger, Sokoto-Kebbi, Laila-Sokoto and Kano-Daura roads.
He questioned calls for the reversal of some of the administration’s economic reforms, particularly the return of fuel subsidy.
Yilwatda asked whether reversing the policy would require the government to halt infrastructure projects, gas-related investments and programmes such as the Nigeria Education Loan Fund.
He argued that the country’s economic challenges should be addressed through reforms and development rather than a return to policies that, according to him, had contributed to fiscal pressures on governments.
The APC chairman also highlighted what he described as the inclusive nature of the APC and the Federal Government, citing the participation of Nigerians from different parts of the country in political positions.
Yilwatda said the new members were joining a large political family and assured them that their contributions would be recognised.
He said their defection would be communicated to President Tinubu and indicated that he would recommend them to the governors of their respective states for possible roles in grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 elections.
The APC chairman urged the defectors to return to their wards and communities and begin mobilisation, stressing that joining the party should involve active participation in its activities and programmes.
The defections come amid ongoing political realignments by politicians and aspirants ahead of the 2027 general elections.
