No fewer than 1,331 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area, Kano State, have defected to the ruling New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).
The mass defection took place on Thursday, with the former APC members pledging their support to the NNPP and vowing to work against the return of the APC as the ruling party in Kano State.
The defectors, who are mainly from 11 wards of the area, include notable figures such as the former Vice Chairman of Dawakin Tofa LGA, Malam Kwa, and former state House of Assembly aspirant, Hon. Audu Tumfafi. Their departure is seen as a significant political shift within the local government area.
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Receiving the new members at a ceremony in Dawakin Tofa, the State Chairman of NNPP, Hon. Hashimu Dungurawa, welcomed them warmly and praised their decision to join the party. He reaffirmed NNPP’s commitment under the leadership of Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to driving socio-economic and infrastructural development in Kano State.
Dungurawa assured the defectors that they would be given equal opportunities within the party and dispelled rumors of mass defection of NNPP members to the APC. He stated that the NNPP was not losing grip on its political structure across the state’s wards and dismissed claims of NNPP members switching allegiance to the APC.
“We have been hearing that one APC man has been receiving our members into the APC. We have checked our membership roll, and we have not noticed any reduction in our numerical strength,” Dungurawa noted. “I need to advise them to beware of 419 people coming to collect public funds in the name of decampees.”
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Addressing the gathering, Malam Kwa criticized former governor Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, who hails from the area, alleging that he failed to develop the local government despite being in office for eight years. Kwa also accused Ganduje of not managing the party effectively, leading to the ex-governor’s inability to secure a seat in the House of Representatives during the 2023 general elections.
The defection is seen as a boost for the NNPP in Dawakin Tofa and a potential setback for the APC in the state. Political analysts believe the mass defection could influence the political dynamics of the local government and strengthen the NNPP’s position ahead of the next elections.