Political tsunami hits Southern Kaduna as PDP, LP bigwigs defect to APC
in this report, GODWIN ISENYO writes on the political maneuvering that could shape Kaduna politics ahead of the 2027 elections
In a dramatic turn of events, Kaduna, especially, the Southern part has witnessed a mass exodus of politicians from the Labour Party and Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress. This seismic shift has left many wondering what this means for the region’s future.
As one Kaduna South resident quipped, “It’s like a game of musical chairs, but instead of chairs, it’s party affiliations!” But beneath the humour lies a complex web of political maneuvering that could have far-reaching implications for Kaduna South.
In one swope, hundreds of prominent politicians across the state defected recently where that state governor, Senator Uba Sani welcomed them in droves. Among the first batch of those that defectors are Senator Danjuma Laar, Godfrey Ali Gaiya, and Ado Dogo Audu, all former members of the PDP. Additionally, Representatives Amos Gwamna Magaji and Donatus Mathew, as well as state legislators Henry Marah Zakariah, Samuel Kambai Koza, and Barrister Emmanuel Kantiok, have also joined the APC. The defections occurred during the APC’s zonal rally in Kafanchan, Southern Kaduna, where thousands of party supporters gathered to pass a vote of confidence in Governor Sani’s administration.
At another fora, other new members, who defected from other parties, include notable figures such as Shehu Sani, former Governor of Kaduna State Alhaji Muktar Ramalan Yero, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi.
So, what’s behind this mass exodus? Insiders point to a combination of factors, including the APC’s perceived strength at the national level and the allure of being part of the ruling party.
“Many of these politicians are pragmatists who want to be on the winning side,” says a local analyst. “They believe that joining the APC will give them a better shot at accessing resources and influencing policy decisions.”
Governor Sani attributed the APC’s growing popularity in Southern Kaduna and the entire to his administration’s commitment to justice and fairness.
“APC is now taking over Southern Kaduna because my administration is anchored on justice. I am abiding by the oath of my office by being just to every segment of Kaduna State, irrespective of party affiliation or ethno-religious background,” Sani boast
The governor, while addressing a crowd of party supporters at Murtala Square, said, “Someone who joins APC today and the one who has been a foundation member 10 years ago, they are of the same status. They will enjoy the same rights and privileges.”
He urged the new members to notify their supporters of the readiness of APC to accept them into the party, as their doors are still open to accept more defectors.
According to Governor Sani, the popularity and acceptability of APC is due to its just leadership at both the state and federal levels. He expressed confidence that the party will emerge victorious in the 2027 elections, from top to bottom, with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu leading the charge.
“In 2027 election, the electorate will vote for APC in all the elections, from top to bottom. At the top, our leader, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be elected. At the state level, the party will be voted for at the gubernatorial, National and State Assembly elections, by the Grace of God,” Governor Sani said.
He also promised that his administration will execute projects in all parts of Kaduna State, regardless of party affiliations and ethno-religious considerations.
“Politics is different from governance. We will be fair to all, whether or not they voted for us, because that is the oath of office that we swore to uphold as leaders,” Governor Sani emphasized.
The Governor also reminded the crowd that leaders will be held accountable in the hereafter regarding how they led the people whom God had entrusted on them.
But not everyone is convinced that this mass defection is a good thing. Critics argue that it undermines the democratic process and creates an uneven playing field. “When politicians switch parties en masse, it erodes trust in the system and makes a mockery of the electoral process,” says a Kaduna South resident who preferred to remain anonymous.
First to fire the first salvor with his reaction, is the chairman of the state chapter of the PDP, Edward Masha, who alleged that some of their members who recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress worked against the party in 2023.
The PUNCH reports that in the 2023 presidential election, the Peoples Democratic Party triumphed when the party’s candidate, Atiku Abubakar, polled 445,671 votes representing 40% to defeat APC candidate, Bola Tinubu with 321,691 votes representing 29.16% in the entire state.
However, in the governorship elections in the state, APC’s Uba Sani scored 730,002 votes to defeat Ashiru Isah Kudan of the PDP with 719,196 while maintaining it’s stronghold of Southern Kaduna. Since 1999, the main opposition party had yet to lose election the Southern part of the state.
While the PDP won in all the local government areas of Southern Kaduna as well as parts of the north including, Chikun, Kachia, Kajuru, Soba, Jaba, Jema’a, Kagarko, Zango-Kataf, Sanga, Kaura, Lere and Kudan, Makarfi, the APC cleared the LGAs in the northern part of the state – Kubau, Zaria, Sabon Gari, Igabi, Giwa, Birnin-Gwari, Ikara, Kaduna South,Kaduna North, Kauru
The PDP also cleared the three senatorial seats in the state, including Kaduna North Senatorial District, Southern Kaduna Senatorial District as well as Kaduna Central Senatorial District.
The PDP chairman, maintained that their defection will in no way hinder the chances of the PDP in the upcoming 2027 election, as the party remains deeply rooted at the grassroots level.
He explained that, when it comes to national elections, particularly the Senate and certain members seeking re-election, the pertinent question for the electorate will be what these candidates have done for their constituents.
It is not merely a matter of party affiliation, he emphasised, asserting that the PDP has performed well and will continue to uphold its standards.
“The people of Southern Kaduna are well-educated; they know who to vote for, and they will consider the candidates’ records.
“There are numerous reasons why people defect. Primarily, if you lose touch with your constituents, or if the zoning arrangements do not favour you, or if you are unable to secure support during the congresses, you might feel that remaining in the party will not provide you with another opportunity to contest. Consequently, seeking an easier alternative becomes appealing.
“I will state unequivocally that some of the defectors, after losing the primaries in 2022, did not support the party and, frankly, in the last 2023 election, they campaigned for a different party, not the PDP. This is well-documented, even as some of them lost at the congresses. Regrettably, they left. As a party, we view this as a betrayal of our mandate, and we will not remain passive; we will take every necessary step to invoke the provisions of the Constitution to reclaim our mandate.
“Review the history of those who left the party, and you will see they do not factor into our calculations. However, I want to assure the general public, especially the PDP family, that together we are stronger, and we will win our elections. We have a procedure in place; we will conduct primary elections, while the other party has not conducted any primaries. A notable instance was the local government elections, where not a single candidate from the APC across the 23 Local Government Areas underwent the normal primary election process.
“During the local government elections, we provided leadership and held the Government accountable, which is why they were unable to conduct the elections; they merely announced names. I assure you that this will not occur in a national election. Many of those who left were promised automatic tickets; let them go and secure those tickets, but they will ultimately return to meet the grassroots”, Masha asserted.
Also reacting, Senator Lawal Adamu Usman, representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, took a swipe at the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State, mocking their recent rally as a “Papalolo comedy.”
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Senator LA, as he is popularly known, reacted to the rally organised by the ruling APC to receive some defectors at the Murtala Square, Kaduna.
“APC is like Papalolo in Kaduna State. If you truly knew you had the support of your ‘rented crowd’, why didn’t you allow the conduct of election in at least one ward within the state? Even the governor could not cast his vote at his polling station during the time,” the lawmaker said, while describing the defectors as “political liabilities and hangers-on” who cannot even win their polling units during an election.
“It’s a pity the Kaduna governor is welcoming empty shells who can’t even win their polling units during any election,” he added.
A former Governor of Sokoto State and Senator representing Sokoto South, Aminu Tambuwal, has expressed his disappointment and concern over the recent defections of members from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling APC.
Tambuwal attributed the defections to “stomach infrastructure” rather than the interest of the people.
“People leave parties for certain reasons or for different reasons, but what I have been observing in the past are defections not based on the interest of the people but based on stomach infrastructure,” Tambuwal said.
According to him, “If you are talking about defecting in the interest of the people, I believe no one can go to the APC. If you are a politician with conscience, with the current policies being driven by the government of the APC and the current economic doldrum that the APC has driven Nigerians into and hardship across the country and the dismal performance of the Tinubu’s administration, there is nothing attractive outside stomach infrastructure.”
Tambuwal questioned the motivation behind the defections, stating that no politician with a conscience would join the APC given its current policies and the economic hardship faced by Nigerians.
“So, those based on stomach infrastructure are not worrisome. It is for all of us who believe in this country; who believe in the service of the people to continue to come together and work out something that will ensure that by 2027, we ease out this administration that lacks focus, that has no compassion; that do not have any direction and that is riderless,” he said.
The senator urged like-minded individuals to come together and work towards ensuring that the APC is voted out by 2027.
Despite these concerns, the APC is clearly buoyed by the influx of new members. Party leaders claim that this demonstrates the APC’s growing popularity and appeal. “We’re thrilled to welcome these new members into our fold,” says an APC chieftain who spoke on condition of anonymity, while noting that “It’s a testament to our party’s commitment to good governance and service to the people.”
Not even the defection of former governor Nasir El-Rufai and his cohorts to the Social Democratic Party, could stop the moving train of the APC being saturated by members in the state, according to the party’s Secretary, Alhaji Yahaya Baba-Pate, dismissing claims the SDP that APC is worried about the defection of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai and his ex-commissioner, Hon. Ja’afaru Sani to the SDP.
The PUNCH reports the former Kaduna State Governor and founding member of the All Progressives Congress, Nasir El-Rufai, has dumped the ruling party for the Social Democratic Party
The former governor cited a growing misalignment between his personal values and the current direction of the APC as the primary reason for his decision.
El-Rufai disclosed this in a press statement released on his X handle on Monday, where he expressed his disappointment with the APC’s leadership, accusing the party of straying from the progressive ideals of its founding members.
“As a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), I have fond memories of working with other compatriots to negotiate the merger of political parties that created the APC. Since 2013, I have hoped that my personal values and those of the APC will continue to align until I choose to retire from politics.”
The party described the SDP’s claims as “vituperations of political non-starters” who have “demystified themselves by pushing their lucks too far,” stating that
the defection of El-Rufai and Sani to the SDP has proved to be a “non-event”, with no person of substance or political relevance following them to the SDP.
The party also warned that by accommodating El-Rufai, the SDP has “sown the seed of its own destruction”, stating that El-Rufai will soon “throw a cat amongst the pigeons” in the SDP.
“Nasir El-Rufai’s motivation for leaving APC is self-interest. He is eager to extract a political ‘pound of flesh’ from those he holds responsible for his descent into the political wilderness.
“We will not be distracted by the vituperations of political non-starters, who have demystified themselves by pushing their lucks too far. The good people of Kaduna State will not fall for their game of manipulation,” the party added.
Further attributing the mass exodus of defectors to the party’s commitment to the promotion and protection of the principles of democracy, and stands for the rule of law and due process, Pate noted that has been creating a conducive atmosphere for all parties to thrive in the state.
The APC also recalled that recently, top political figures from the People’s Democratic Party and the Labour Party moved to the APC in large numbers.
“We believe that a vibrant and constructive opposition is vital to the strengthening and consolidation of democracy, as well as accelerating the pace of development.
“It is a known fact that Governor Uba Sani runs an all-inclusive, people-centered and pro-poor administration.
“We received defectors from the National Assembly and the Kaduna State House of Assembly. The movement to our party from significant parties in Kaduna State has been overwhelming,” he added.
The party further stated that with its party reaching the state of near saturation, there was no need to bother about individuals who are running from pillar to post in search of political relevance.
“Rather than desperately searching for who to pull down, they should engage in soul searching and atone for their past misdeeds. In so doing, they will have peace,” he concluded.
According to Shehu Sani, former lawmaker, the defection of former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, from the All Progressives Congress to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) will not change the political landscape of the state.
Sani, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the 8th National Assembly, stated that El-Rufai’s political relevance and fortune have eclipsed, and his defection to the SDP will not make any difference.
“Leaving APC for SDP wouldn’t make any difference for someone with no political relevance again,” Sani said in a reaction to El-Rufai’s defection.
Sani also expressed confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani will be re-elected in 2027.
“But one thing is sure, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani will be voted again,” he said.
Again, the APC in the state, dismissed ElEl-Rufai’s defection from APC to SDP, saying it will not lose sleep over the move.
However, reacting, Baba-Pate, said the party remained unperturbed by the defection of the former governor, saying the party is focused on delivering the state to President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani in 2027.
Baba-Pate, expressed confidence in the party’s growing strength in the state, citing the influx of high-profile politicians joining the party daily in the state.
He said, “we are unperturbed by former governor Nasir El-Rufai’s defection to another party.Our main focus in Kaduna is on how to deliver the state to both President Ahmed Bola Tinubu and governor Uba Sani in 2027.
“The APC in Kaduna State is growing day by day, judging from the calibre of politicians streaming into the party on a daily basis. So, we are not disturbed by anybody defecting to another party based on our governor’s inclusive governance in the state.
“We are not disturbed and we are not going to lose our sleep over El-rufai’s moves. The party in the state is growing more than before.”
What must have endeared the party to the people of the Southern Kaduna, stronghold of the main opposition PDP the Fourth Republic.
Perhaps, the politics of inclusivity by the governing APC in both the state and the National levels. As Luka Binniyat, a former Spokesman of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, puts it: “We are having a better deal under Bola Ahmed Tinubu than under Buhari, even though we are all suffering the economic hardship like everyone else.”
Binniyat, who’s also the Spokesman of the Middle Belt Forum, cited the establishment of the North Central Development Commission, which includes six Middle Belt states, including Southern Kaduna , and the appointment of Gen. Musa Christopher as Chief of Defense Staff, who has helped reduce invasions and mass slaughter in the region.
“Former Governor Nasir el-Rufai was a replica of Gen. Buhari, but in a more toxic form to us. He pampered the foreign Fulani that were plundering communities and killing in large numbers, to the extent that he traced them to their countries of origin and paid them what he claimed to be ‘compensation.’ But under the present Governor Uba Sani, that trend has largely ceased to exist as he seems more tolerant and more inclusive in his governance,” Binniyat said.
In the same vein, in as much as the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union are commending the Uba Sani and President Bola Tinubu’s administrations for its inclusivity, particularly in appointing sons and daughters from Southern Kaduna to key positions, the union kept it’s option open regarding the 2027 elections.
According to Josiah Abraks, spokesman for SOKAPU, “We really appreciate Mr. President because of what he has been doing. We have seen really Tinubu has come to bring Southern Kaduna into the main light by virtual of inclusivity.”
Like Binniyat, Abraks cited the appointment of Gen. Christopher Musa as Chief of Defence Staff and the establishment of the Federal University of Applied Science, Kachia, as notable examples of the president’s inclusivity.
“The Southern Kaduna, if you ask me, jubilations everywhere and to tell you, the university is going to impact positively on the Southern Kaduna people. And some of the potentials that are lying fallow will come to play by the time the Federal University comes on stream and takes off fully,” Abraks said.
When asked about SOKAPU’s stance on President Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027, Abraks kept options open, saying, “Southern part of Kaduna would be willing to partner with whoever that is ready to work with us to ensure our growth and development.”
But what does this mean for Kaduna South’s future? One thing is clear: the APC’s strengthened position in the region will likely have significant implications for policy decisions and resource allocation. With a stronger APC presence, Kaduna South may see more investment in infrastructure and social services, which could benefit local residents.
However, others worry that the APC’s dominance could lead to a lack of accountability and oversight. “When one party has too much power, it can lead to abuse of office and corruption,” warns a local civil society leader. “We need to ensure that there are robust checks and balances in place to prevent this from happening.”
As the dust settles on this mass defection, one thing is clear: Kaduna South’s political landscape has been forever altered. While the implications of this shift are still unclear, one thing is certain – the people of Kaduna South will be watching with bated breath as the drama unfolds.
What next for Governor Uba Sani?
The mass defection to the APC has significant implications for Governor Uba Sani’s chances of re-election. With a stronger APC presence in Kaduna South, Governor Sani may find it easier to consolidate his position and deliver on his campaign promises.
However, critics argue that the governor’s reliance on defectors from other parties could undermine his legitimacy and create divisions within the APC. “Governor Sani needs to be careful not to alienate his core supporters by relying too heavily on defectors,” warns a local political analyst.
As the governor navigates this new political landscape, one thing is clear – he will need to work hard to deliver on his campaign promises and maintain the trust of his supporters.
The mass defection to the APC in Kaduna South has redefined the region’s political landscape. While the implications of this shift are still unclear, one thing is certain – the people of Kaduna South will be watching with bated breath as the drama unfolds.
