The Kaduna State caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the House of Representatives suffered a major setback on Tuesday following the defection of three of its members to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The defectors, Hon. Abdulkarim Ahmed (Kaduna South), Hon. Aliyu Mustapha (Ikara/Kubau), and Hon. Sadiq Ango-Abdullahi (Sabon Gari) announced their move in separate letters read by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas during plenary.
Their defection adds to the wave of political crossovers into the APC from opposition parties in Kaduna, which in recent months has seen the return of figures such as Senator Shehu Sani and Hon. Amos Magaji.
Lingering PDP crisis blamed
In their letters, the lawmakers cited the “lingering crisis within the PDP” and the need to align with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda as the main reasons for their switch.
In his resignation letter to the PDP Chairman of Makera Ward, Kaduna South, Hon. Abdulkarim Ahmed lamented that the party’s internal wranglings had undesirably impacted ability to effectively represent constituency.
“After wide consultations with my constituents, key stakeholders, and political allies, I have come to the tough but necessary decision to resign my membership of the PDP,” he wrote.
Ahmed, while expressing gratitude to the PDP for the opportunity to serve, said the experiences gained under the party were “priceless.”
The latest defections are seen as further consolidating the APC’s dominance in Kaduna State, where several political heavyweights have in recent months crossed over to the ruling party.
