Three members of the Kaduna State House of Assembly elected under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) along with their supporters.
The lawmakers—Henry Mara (Jaba Constituency), Emmanuel Kantiok (Zonkwa Constituency), and Samuel Kambai (Zango Constituency)—announced their decision on Thursday at their respective wards.
Their defection comes just two days after Amos Magaji, the lawmaker representing Zangon Kataf/Jaba Federal Constituency in the National Assembly, also left the PDP for the APC.
Mara stated that the PDP’s influence in Southern Kaduna has “rapidly crumbled.” He added, “A major realignment in the power structure of the state House of Assembly is looming as we’re expecting more opposition members to dump the PDP for APC.”
Kambai attributed the shift to the achievements of Governor Uba Sani, saying, “Governor Uba Sani’s commendable achievements within two years are attributable to the decline in opposition parties. Southern Kaduna has been a stronghold of the opposition PDP since 1999, but today, that jinx has been altered by Governor Uba Sani’s credible leadership.”
Kantiok emphasised the improvement in security, stating, “The state faced escalating insecurity in the past eight years, but there is relative peace now, and I promise to consolidate Governor Sani’s existing performance.”
The lawmakers believe that aligning with the ruling party will enable them to serve their constituents more effectively, signalling a significant political shift in the region.