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From Adesuwa Tsan, Abuja
The gale of defections continued yesterday as three senators from Kebbi State, including former governor and senator representing Kebbi Central, Adamu Aliero, formally defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing internal crises within the PDP and alignment with President Bola Tinubu’s development agenda.
Aliero, in a letter read on the floor of the Senate said the PDP had become “disconnected from the aspirations of the very Nigerians it seeks to lead,” blaming the party’s internal divisions and lack of ideological clarity. He expressed renewed confidence in the APC’s leadership, describing it as “a more viable platform through which I can effectively serve my constituents.”
Yahaya Abdullahi, former Senate leader and another defector, echoed similar sentiments. In his letter, he described his return to the APC as a “homecoming,” noting that the issues that led to his initial exit from the party in 2022 had been resolved by the current state governor.
“I believe it is in the best interest of the constituency that I was presented to take this step,” Abdullahi said. “It is politically imperative for me to join President Bola Tinubu by providing my legislative knowledge and experience to support the efforts that the President is making in reinventing Nigeria.”
Garba Maidoki of Kebbi South, also defected, completing the sweep of Kebbi’s senatorial delegation into the APC.
Reacting to the defections, the leadership of the Senate dismissed arguments that members of the opposition were moving to the APC to avoid prosecution or for other sinister interests.
Both the Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau and the Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, in their separate comments, noted that such defections were not strange in a democratic setting.
