Some House of Assembly candidates of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) from Zamfara, Plateau, Taraba and Jigawa states have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and declared support for President Bola Tinubu’s bid for a second term in 2027.
The candidates announced their defection on Monday during a visit to the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja.
The delegation was led by Dr Princess Aslam Aliyu Gambiyar of Zamfara State.
Gambiyar said the group decided to leave the ADC because of its confidence in the Tinubu administration and its Renewed Hope Agenda.
She said the defectors were ready to work with the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections and support Tinubu’s re-election campaign.
Receiving the new members, Yilwatda welcomed them into the APC and urged them to return to their wards and begin grassroots mobilisation.
“We have young people who are joining us in the progressive fold. I am happy that you resigned and presented your resignation letters to your wards. The job now is to go back to your wards and start work,” he said.
The APC chairman also defended the Federal Government’s development projects in Northern Nigeria, rejecting claims by opposition figures that the region had been neglected.
Yilwatda pointed to ongoing road projects across the region, including sections of the Abuja-Kano-Maiduguri corridor, Jos-Akwanga, Kwara-Niger, Sokoto-Kebbi, Laila-Sokoto and Kano-Daura roads.
He also defended the administration’s economic reforms, particularly the removal of the petrol subsidy.
According to him, reversing the subsidy policy could affect government funding for infrastructure and other programmes.
Yilwatda questioned whether a return to the former subsidy regime would leave sufficient resources for projects such as road construction, gas development and programmes including the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND).
He said the economic difficulties facing Nigerians should be addressed through reforms designed to expand opportunities rather than a return to policies that, in his view, placed pressure on government finances.
The APC chairman also said the party and the Tinubu administration had encouraged political participation across regional and religious lines.
Yilwatda assured the defectors that their contributions would be recognised within the party and said their decision would be communicated to President Tinubu.
He added that he would recommend them to the governors in their respective states for consideration in grassroots mobilisation activities ahead of the 2027 elections.
The chairman again urged the new members to begin mobilisation in their wards and communities, stressing that their defection should be followed by active participation in APC activities.
The development comes amid continuing political realignments among parties, candidates and political groups ahead of the 2027 general elections.
