About 15 officials of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Zamfara State, including state and zonal executives, have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The decampees, who held various strategic positions in the PDP, were formally received into the APC by Alhaji Tijani Yahaya on behalf of former governor and the senator representing Zamfara West, Abdul’aziz Yari, in Abuja, yesterday.

Among those who defected were PDP Youth Leader, Sahad Dabo; former Treasurer, Nasiru Anka; erstwhile Organising Secretary, Janaidu Magaji Kiyawa, and another former Organising Secretary, Musa Halilu Faru.

Others included former Zonal Organising Secretary, Lawali Aliyu; Hajiya Rabi Bakura, and ex officio members, Hajiya Amina Duniya and Alhaji Tijani Yahaya.

Yahaya said Yari and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, would host an elaborate ceremony to officially welcome the defectors on their return to the country. He added that both new and old members would enjoy equal opportunities in the party.

Yahaya described the defection as a good omen, urging the new members to work collectively to consolidate the APC’s growing popularity. He later handed the defectors to the State APC Chairman, Tukur Umar Danfulani, who commended Yari and Matawalle for their efforts in strengthening the party across Zamfara.

IN a related development, former presidential candidate and PDP stalwart, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has intensified efforts to reposition the party ahead of its next national convention with a reconciliation mission across the North Central zone.

As part of the ongoing consultation, he met separately with former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and erstwhile Minister of Sports, Damishi Sango, in what party insiders described as a renewed bid to rebuild trust and strengthen internal cohesion within the PDP.

During a meeting at his Abuja office, Olawepo-Hashim received Sango, who was accompanied by Mr Sam Habu, a longtime aide to the late Chief Solomon Daushep Lar, the pioneer national chairman of the PDP and former governor of the old Plateau State.

Speaking after the meeting, Olawepo-Hashim stated, “We were both mentees of Chief Solomon Lar, the Emancipator. Our discussion centred on reconciling leaders in Plateau and across the North Central zone.”

Continuing his bridge-building initiative, Olawepo-Hashim also met with Saraki over the weekend, where both leaders held what sources described as “a strategic conversation” focused on rebuilding the PDP’s structures and expanding its national outlook.

“We agreed to work together for the greater interest of Nigeria, to rebuild the PDP in the North Central zone and the nation at large. To God be the glory,” he said.

Political observers see Olawepo-Hashi’s latest engagements as part of a broader move to consolidate the PD’s North Central bloc, widely regarded as the moral compass of the party. His outreach to Saraki and Sango, they note, signals a deepening effort to forge unity and consensus among key stakeholders ahead of 2027.

As the opposition party seeks to reclaim lost ground and redefine its national strategy, Olawepo-Hashim’s reconciliation drive is emerging as a rallying point for leaders committed to restoring the PDP’s cohesion and political relevance.