Borno: 2,000 PDP Members Defect To APC

BEVERLY HILLS, February 04, (THEWILL) - The defection wind blowing across the political landscape hit Borno State on Tuesday as over 2,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Guzamala Local Government in the northern part of the state moved over to the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing long time neglect and underdevelopment of their area as reasons for their defection.

The defectors who were led by the former PDP secretary in the area, Alhaji Tijjani Goni and chairman, Alhaji Lawan Kuru, stormed the Maiduguri Government House to announce their defection from PDP to APC, saying they have supported PDP in the state for 12 years "without appreciable gains.

" The defectors included the PDP leaders , the party secretary in the Local Government, Babagana Mohammed, women and youth leaders, 10 ward chairmen and other elders of the party.

Goni , who addressed the gathering on behalf of the defectors, said: "These are leaders of PDP in Guzamala Local Government who have been loyal to the party since 1999 but we decided to leave the party to join APC because we have been neglected for too long.

"We are leaving PDP because of what the government in Borno is doing now.

We decided to join the government on our volition; nobody persuaded us or forced us and we were not induced at all.

" Lamenting that many of their children were yet to be employed after completing their academic studies in various tertiary institutions, Goni said: "They are not getting the benefit of dividends of democracy, we want our children that have gone to school to get employment.

We want development for our people.
We are defecting to APC for better.
" Maintaining that there may not be any PDP member left in Guzamala with the defection of all party executives in the area to APC, he said their choice of APC was because the party seems to have a new hope for everyone.

Reacting to the defection, Gov.
Kashim Shettima said the former PDP members had made the right decision to join APC and urged them to be patient and support the party chieftains, including the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Abdulkarim Lawan.

He advised that APC can only win all the elections in the state through their cooperation with the leaders .