Ex-council speaker, 3,700 PDP members decamp to APC in Kuje
The former speaker of Kuje Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Abdullahi Danladi Galadima and 3,700 others have defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the area.
City News reports that the former speaker, Abdullahi Galadima, contested during the March 16, 2013, area council chairmanship election under the PDP but lost to the incumbent chairman of the council, Shaban Ishaku Tete, at the party’s primaries.
Notable among the PDP members that also decamped to APC, are the former chairmanship candidate of the PDP in the area, Alhaji Hassan Bako and five former councilors: Mr. Mathew Bejakai, of Kabbi ward; Yunusa Salisu, Chibiri ward; John Gwomna, Kwaku ward; Mr. Bature Wakili, Yenche ward; and Ibrahim Wodi of Rubochi ward.
The former speaker who spoke on behalf of the defectors, said he and other members as well as five former councilors decided to dump PDP for APC to bring change in the country.
He said even though he had served the PDP for 16 years, it was high time he joined the opposition party which, he said, has majority support from the grassroots to ensure there was change of leadership at the council, state and national levels.
“I have served PDP for 16 years and having served for such number of years, and later observed with the system of PDP administration in the council, I feel APC has a better mission to keep this country one than the PDP, for which I and my supporters, about 3,700 of them across the 10 wards resolved to pitch tent with the APC,” he said.
The FCT chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Usman Abdulmalik, who received the defectors, said he was elated with the large number of PDP members decamping to the APC.
He observed that with the caliber of those that defected to the opposition party across the 10 wards of the council, the APC would ensure that everybody was carried along in line with its constitution.
“The constitution of our party is very clear, if not now that the era of nomination of a member to contest is gone, our position is that whoever joins APC today has become a full-time member of the party and can aspire for any position as they are equal to everybody,” he said.
He, therefore, called on all members and supporters of the party across the 10 wards of the council to ensure they collect their permanent voter’s cards and keep them safe for the February 14 presidential election.