• Demands Constitutional amendment to guarantee ballot sanctity
• Kaduna now 95% APC, governor declares
African Democratic Congress (ADC) has reacted to comments by the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Dr Nentawe Yilwatda, that “key ADC figures” would join the party soon, asserting that defections will not save the ruling party in 2027.
It, therefore, called for urgent amendments to the 1999 Constitution and the 2022 Electoral Act to ensure sanctity of the ballot, citing concerns over the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the appointment of Supreme Court Justices.
With the defection of four Kaduna House of Assembly lawmakers and five House of Representatives members, along with thousands of their supporters, the state is now 95 per cent APC, Governor Uba Sani declared during a mega rally at the weekend.
The ADC, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, pointed out that the scramble for membership from across the political spectrum underscores the APC’s growing realisation that it has become hugely unpopular with ordinary Nigerians who now hate the ruling party for the hardship it brought upon them.
“The attention of ADC has been drawn to the declaration by the National Chairman of APC at a stakeholders’ meeting in Jos, that key ADC figures would be received into the APC next week. This statement underscores a deep realisation by the ruling party that it cannot be saved, even if all the governors in Nigeria defected to the ruling party. This is why, even with all the governors and senators they have been bragging about, the APC is still desperate for ADC members.
“The truth remains that the APC realises that it has become the most hated party in Nigeria, and no amount of defection can save the party from Nigerians whose lives and livelihoods the ruling party has destroyed since it came to power,” Abdullahi said.
AS ADC reaffirmed its readiness to change the trajectory of the country, its Lagos chairmen said: “Nigerians continue to suffer untold hardship with the incumbent government’s programmes and projects seemingly very far at addressing them.”
The chairmen, led by Ugochukwu Anaere, stated this at a briefing in Lagos, at the weekend, where they also condemned threats made by the Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Lagos State Chapter, Mustapha Adekunle (Sego), against ADC members.
The ADC leaders alleged that their members had faced attacks and threats, particularly during the 2023 general elections, and expressed fears that such incidents might recur in the 2027 elections.
They also condemned Adekunle’s threats, describing them as “careless, barbaric, uncivilised, provocative and dreadful.” Demanding Adekunle’s immediate arrest and prosecution, citing concerns over the safety of their members and the potential for electoral violence, the party leaders called on the relevant authorities to take adequate steps to secure votes and protect the lives and property of Nigerian voters.
ACCORDING to Governor Sani, with the latest defections, APC now has 13 legislators from Kaduna at the House of Representatives, leaving PDP with three. Also, there are 26 APC members in the House of Assembly as against PDP’s eight.
The mega rally, which was held at the Murtala Square in Kaduna, was attended by Yilwatda, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, Minister of Environment, Balarabe Lawal, Chairman of North West Development Commission (NWDC), Lawal Yakawada and many APC supporters.
Sani assured the defectors that APC “is one family which does not discriminate against its members”, adding that “those that have joined our party today and those that have been with us since the creation of this party will have the same privileges.”
Meanwhile, Yilwatda described APC as “the promised land” for Nigerian politicians, adding that the duo of President Bola Tinubu and Governor Sani deserve a second term due to their achievements.
Abbas noted that the APC achieved political dominance in Kaduna, a feat no party had ever attained in the state. Husseini Jalo, who spoke on behalf of the defectors, thanked Sani and Tinubu for providing good leadership in the country and the state.
