No fewer than 120 supporters of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gulu Ward of Lapai Local Government Area of Niger State on Saturday.
The defectors were received at the APC ward secretariat in Gulu Vatsa by the former Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism and a stalwart of the ruling party in Niger State, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa. They cited the performance of State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago over the last year as their reason for leaving the PDP.
The defectors, who were mostly youths and women, stated, “We decided to leave the opposition party and join the ruling party because the former commissioner has always identified with us despite our different political affiliations.”
Speaking on behalf of the other defectors, Ibrahim Liman commended the state governor for addressing the security challenges facing their area and for the return of peace to Gulu Vatsa after years of banditry and other criminal activities.
According to him, “Our decision to join the ruling APC was not for any material gain, but because we are happy with the performance of the governor in the last year in office. We are happy with the relationship that the former commissioner has maintained with everyone in the community, regardless of our party differences.”
“We will ensure that more people join the party in our community so that there will be no opposition here. That will attract more development to this community.”
Responding, Vatsa, who is the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Initiative, assured them that they will not regret their decision to join the ruling party in the state.
He stated, “The new Niger agenda of the governor is real and not just a mere pronouncement. We, therefore, urge other political parties in the state to adopt Governor Bago as the sole candidate for the 2027 governorship in the state because of his aggressive transformation of the state at all levels.”