Three House of Representatives members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have dumped the presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu to support the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.
Three lawmakers who dumped APC are all from Katsina State, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The lawmakers dumped the ruling party for PDP after meeting with the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in Sokoto State on Sunday night.
According to Premium Times, Atiku’s meeting with the lawmakers was confirmed by two top aides of an ex-secretary to the Government of Katsina State, Mustapha Inuwa.
The lawmakers, who dumped APC, are Hamza Dalhatu (Rimi/Charanci/Batagarawa constituency), Salisu Iro (Katsina constituency), and Ahmad Dayyabu (Danmusa/Batsari/Safana constituency).
Two businessmen, owners of NAK Enterprises, Bilyaminu Funtua, and Kabir Kabir–Bilya, who were also prominent members of the APC also dumped the party.
The three lawmakers had failed in their bid to secure a return ticket to the National Assembly in the primary of APC.
One of the aides who spoke on condition of anonymity said the lawmakers had threatened to leave APC but needed to meet Atiku before taking the decision.
He said, “You know we had leadership issues in the party (PDP) in Katsina state. They (legislators) wanted to decamp but were not sure of how they would be received but when Oga (Mr Inuwa) convinced them, they asked to be given assurance they would be accorded the same respect as other party members.
“Immediately after our rally in Charanci, he (Mr Inuwa) reached out to Atiku and a decision was taken to take the decampees to Sokoto. They are with us here and will go to Zamfara today (Monday) for the presidential rally.”
While Messrs Dayyabu and Iro are yet to announce their exit from APC, Dalhat in a letter addressed to his Batagarawa Ward “A” party chairman announced his exit from the APC.
Recall that, in June last year, three other House of Representatives members from the state also ditched the party for the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) after the primary elections.
The legislators, Ibrahim Babangida (Malumfashi/Kafur constituency), Armaya’u Kado (Dutsin Ma/Kurfi constituency) and Aminu Ashiru (Mani/Bindawa constituency), said they were not satisfied with the party’s conduct of the primaries. While Mr. Babangida is now contesting for the Katsina South seat in the Senate, Messrs Ashiru and Kado are seeking to retain their seats.
A few days after, President Buhari’s nephew, Fatuhu Muhammad (Daura/Sandamu/Mai’Adua constituency) left the party after he accused some of the president’s top aides of sabotaging his efforts to retain the party’s ticket.
Though he returned to the party after a high-profile committee led by Kashim Shettima, the party’s vice presidential candidate, met him, Mr Muhammad has not been participating in the party’s activities at both state and federal levels.
Mustapha Inuwa, the former SGS, also left the party after the gubernatorial primaries.
