THE Chief of Staff to the Kano State governor, Alii Makoda, and two House of Representatives members from the state, Tijuana Jobe and Badamasi Ayuba, have dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) to join the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Their defection is coming after several reports of internal crisis rocking the leading APC party in the state.
The governor of the state, Abdullahi Ganduje, had endorsed his deputy, Nasiru Gawuna, and Commissioner for Local Government, Murtala Garo, as the party’s candidate and running mate respectively for the 2023 gubernatorial election.
According to a report by Premium Times, other notable politicians that have left the party are Ahmed Muhammadu, the APC state auditor; Umar Mai Tsidau, APC youth leader and former chairman of Makoda Local Government; Halliru Danga Maigari, a former member of the House of Assembly representing Rimingado/Tofa; and Hafizu Sani Maidaji, a former member of the state House of Assembly representing Dambatta Constituency.
The leader of the NNPP, Rabiu Kwankwaso, was said to have wooed the APC officials, who were aggrieved by Ganduje’s imposition of aspirants, to join his party.
Makoda reportedly signified interest to contest the 2023 general elections and had tendered his resignation letter to Ganduje, who rejected the letter and asked him to continue in his position.
Makoda confirmed his resignation and defection to NNPP to Daily Nigerian.
Jobe said he and the others decided to decamp to the NNPP “to continue providing dividends of democracy to their people.”
'Niyi worked with The ICIR as an Investigative Reporter and Fact-checker from 2020 till September 2022. You can shoot him an email via niyioyedeji1@gmail.com. You can as well follow him on Twitter via @niyi_oyedeji.