Alhaji Muhammad Bashir Sa’idu, a former chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has announced that the party has collapsed in Kaduna State following his decision to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) alongside more than 200,000 registered members.
Alhaji Bashir Sai’du, a former political ally of Malam Nasir El-Rufai and former Commissioner of Finance in the last administration, made this declaration at an elaborate ceremony in Zaria, which was organized to receive ADC decampees on Saturday.
A one-time Chief of Staff in the El-Rufai administration, Alhaji Sai’du said that there are several support groups and other non-ADC members that defected with him, along side Alhaji Jafaru Sani, a former ADC gubernatorial aspirant, Senator Suleiman Abdu Kwari, one-time Commissioner of Finance.
Speaking at the occasion, Alhaji Sai’du recalled that his group, the Kaduna De-Initiatives, was the pillar of ADC which constituted the party’s structure from ward to state level after the congresses.
According to him, they built ADC with their strength, sweat and blood but unfortunately, ‘’a few individuals who later joined the party hijacked it.’’
‘’We discovered that the party was being teleguided by a family, a situation which we found unacceptable. So, we studied the situation and compared the list of ADC candidates that won the primaries and the candidates of APC.
‘’We saw that there was no basis for comparison; the contrast between the ADC and APC candidates is very glaring,’’ he further said.
Alhaji Sa’idu disclosed that the Kaduna De-Initiatives thereafter called for an emergency meeting of its Steering Committee and afterwards, took a decision to return to APC, adding that ‘’after all, we helped built the party.’’
‘’So, we have returned home. And as at one month ago, amongst those that defected with us, the number is about 100,000. These were card-carrying members of ADC. Between then and now, over 100,000 defectors have also joined APC,’’ he said.
The former Commissioner of Finance said that there is not a single bonafide politician remaining in ADC, adding that there is now no opposition in Kaduna State, following their defection because ‘’we were the opposition.’’
The ex-Chief of Staff in the government of Malam El-Rufai said on election day, ADC will come a distant third when the results are announced.
In his brief remarks, Governor Uba Sani had described the defection of Alhaji Bashir Saidu and other ADC bigwigs as a day of joy for Nigeria in general and Kaduna state in particular.
Describing Alhaji Saidu as a principled and trustworthy politician, the Governor pointed out that when he makes up his mind on an issue, he sees it to its logical conclusion.
He further said that the decampee ‘’is a man of the people and even when he went to ADC, we were confident that he will return home. He stands for justice. Malam Jafaru Sani is also someone who can be trusted. He is also a seasoned public servant.’’
Governor Sani further said that there is no discrimination in APC, adding that ‘’the person who joins today, the one who joined yesterday and the one who will join tomorrow, we are all one.’’
‘’I, as the Governor, House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, the North West zonal Vice Chairman, Hon Garba Datti Babawo and all of us, none is more important than the other in our party. We are all equal and everyone has the right to aspire to any position that he wants.
The Governor reiterated that since Bashir Sa’idu mooted the idea of returning to APC, ‘’I knew that there is no more opposition in Kaduna State. What is before us now, is not just about winning elections but the number of votes that we will deliver in Kaduna State.
‘’Before now, we were promising to deliver two million votes but we have now upgraded to three million votes, God willing. There are 4,600,000 registered voters in Kaduna State and 96% have received their voters cards.
‘’We will go to every nook and cranny of Kaduna State, go house-to-house to canvass for votes, to ensure victory for APC from top to bottom. President Bola Tinubu is proud of Kaduna State, that is why he chose one of own to become the House Speaker.
‘’The president loves Kaduna because he has sited many projects in our dear State, he has given many citizens of the state political appointments and so we should reciprocate by voting massively for APC in all elections,’’ he argued.
What You Should Know
Alhaji Muhammad Bashir Sa’idu, a close political ally of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai, led a massive wave of defections from the African Democratic Congress back to the ruling All Progressives Congress in Kaduna State. Alongside former gubernatorial aspirant Alhaji Jafaru Sani and other heavyweights, Sa’idu claimed the ADC was hijacked by a single family, prompting their return to the APC. Governor Uba Sani welcomed the defectors warmly, stating that their return eliminates major opposition in the state and boosts the APC’s target for upcoming electoral victories.
- Positive Impact: The massive consolidation strengthens the ruling party’s unity in Kaduna and aims to deliver a unified political front ahead of upcoming elections.
- Potential Concerns: The complete absorption of major opposition figures into the ruling party weakens political pluralism, leaving very little vibrant opposition presence to keep the administration accountable in the state.
