Mass Defection Rocks Buhari’s Home State as APC, PDP, NNPP Structures Collapse into ADC

Mass Defection Rocks Buhari’s Home State as APC, PDP, NNPP Structures Collapse into ADC

Hundreds of supporters from the All Progressives Congress (APC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Katsina State — the home state of former President Muhammadu Buhari — have officially defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The mass defection was announced during the formal unveiling of the ADC’s Katsina State chapter at the Continental Event Center on Sunday, July 13.

The high-profile event saw the distribution of party membership cards to new entrants drawn from all 34 local government areas of the state.

Leading the defection was Mustapha Inuwa, a prominent political figure and coalition leader in the state. The move marks a major blow to the ruling APC and other established parties in the region.

Speaking at the gathering, Lawal Batagarawa, the National Representative of the National Political Coalition Group in Katsina, decried the state of the nation under President Bola Tinubu’s leadership.

“There’s a rising wave of insecurity, poverty, inflation, and a collapsing naira,” Batagarawa said. “A lot of industries have shut down since Tinubu assumed office in 2023. This country deserves better.”

He emphasized the need for unity among ADC members and supporters, pledging that the party will tackle the country’s most pressing issues — terrorism, banditry, poverty, and illiteracy — if elected in 2027.

ADC State Chairman, Usman Musa Wamba, echoed Batagarawa’s sentiments and expressed optimism about the party’s future. “We will do well,” he said. “We call on young voters and the people of Katsina to rally behind the ADC so that we can deliver the true dividends of democracy.”

Among the notable defectors was Aliyu Saulawa, a former APC stalwart who once served as Director of Media for the Buhari Campaign Organisation and as the National Coordinator of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Movement.

Saulawa did not mince words in his criticism of the APC: “The APC has failed woefully in fulfilling its campaign promises — especially in the North. The party has achieved less than one percent of what it promised. Without security, there is no livelihood. Our people are mostly farmers and traders, and without safety, everything collapses — including our already fragile education system. I can no longer continue in the APC.”

While the ADC gains momentum, the PDP is also fighting to maintain relevance in the state. In a separate development, the party’s 2023 governorship candidate, Yakubu Lado, convened a state caucus meeting at the PDP headquarters themed “Let’s Make Katsina State Work Again.”

Lado used the occasion to dismiss speculation that the PDP’s influence was fading. “The PDP structure is still alive and well in Katsina State,” he said. “The party’s loss in 2023 was due to the conduct of its former leadership, which alienated many loyal members.”