The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, on Friday, received members of the support groups of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election from the 19 Northern States into the APC.

The defectors under the aegis of the Coalition of Atiku Support Groups in the 19 Northern States in the 2023 general elections, announced their cross carpeting from the PDP to the APC at the A-Class Event Centre, Abuja.

Five representatives of the group from each of the 19 Northern States and FCT attended the event, pledging to work for the success of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu during the 2027 general election across the nooks and crannies of the North.

The groups said they decided to join the APC and support President Tinubu following Senator Barau’s encouragement.

The Coordinator of the Coalition, Hon Abubakar Malami, said: “Our groups comprise various strata of society – women, youths, students, traders, academics, and farmers— representing diverse religious and ethnic backgrounds.

“In the 2023 general elections build-up, we mobilised our members across the nooks and crannies of the 19 Northern States and the FCT to campaign for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. To the glory of God, Alhaji Atiku and the people around him acknowledged and appreciated the support of our groups. We played a key role in the votes the former vice president polled in the last presidential election.

“We supported Alhaji Atiku in our quest to address the challenges facing our region, especially the terrorist activities of bandits, which are clogging our people’s wheel to economic activities. Farming, the mainstay of our people, was a no-go area. Our farmlands were turned into kidnappers’ dens.

“However, to the glory of Almighty God, 22 months into President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s tenure, a fresh air of peace and hope permeates the 19 Northern States. The crashing prices of food items cannot be divorced from the relative peace enjoyed in our region.

“To tackle the challenges facing our region, the President has established the North West Development Commission (NWDC) following a bill sponsored by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau I Jibrin. This is the game changer. Mr President has also established the North Central Development Commission (NCDC).

“Another thing that has endeared the President Tinubu-led APC government to us is the Barau Initiative for Agricultural Revolution in North West (BIARN), a brainchild of the Deputy President of the Senate. We read in the national dailies that over 500 young farmers millionaires will be created under this initiative in the North West.

“This is what has been lacking in our region. Diversification is the way to go. If this can be replicated in the North East and North Central geopolitical zones, our country will attain food security, and our unemployed youths will be engaged. We are optimistic that our country is on the path to prosperity,” he said.

He said they have decided to team up with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in view of the success being recorded by his administration to lead the country to the next level of economic prosperity.

“In 2027, we will work for the continuation of President Tinubu’s administration. Our sincere appreciation goes to His Excellency, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator (Dr) Barau I Jibrin, CFR, for working hard to support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in addressing the challenges facing our region and the country. He is the Sardauna Arewa of our time,” he said.

Barau described the defection of the Atiku supporters in the North as a big catch for the APC in the North.

“It’s a big catch. We are making a big catch today at our party. Mr. President is a very good man. He’s doing his best to reposition Nigeria so it will be turned into a land of prosperity. And it’s good that you understood that and have come to acknowledge what Mr. President is doing.

“It is good that you are teaming up with Mr President so that he will succeed in his effort to change our development trajectory and make this country a land of El Dorado. This is a very good development. Today, we are happy you are joining the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu family.

“You are joining the APC family because it’s a family that cherishes hard work. And for us, we do not discriminate.
” Whoever comes into the party today has the same privileges, the same latitude to operate like someone who has stayed for years. The only difference is your hard work. What have you been able to do at the party? So if you do better if you do well, you will even be recognised more than someone who has been around since the party’s inception,” he said.

Describing President Tinubu as the father for all, he said; “You know he is someone who is known to be at home in all parts of the country, someone who is generous, his hospitality is unprecedented, he has everything that you can think of as a good man and a leader.”

He commended Ganduje for leading the party to victory in all off-season polls and said that since Ganduje became President, APC has been winning elections back to back.

” He has shown capacity. He has shown that he is capable. So we are proud of you. And we thank you for making us proud, we thank you for making Kano state proud, we thank you for making Northwest proud, we thank you for making Nigeria proud because you are someone who is at home everywhere,” he said.

Ganduje hailed the defection of Atiku’s supporter, describing Senator Barau, who facilitated it, as a real general.

“You are welcome to our party. We are formally receiving you now. But as I have been informed, after the fasting period, all your members will gather here in Abuja, under the leadership of the distinguished Senator Barau, so that we invite Mr President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Vice President himself, where we will have the Senate President and the Right Honorable Speaker, to formally receive all your members to register the death, the collapse, the disappearance of the PDP in Nigeria, not only in the northern part of this country.

“I saw one clip that is trending. Soon, we will have elections in Anambra State. Each political party plans to get its candidates for the contest in the governorship election. But I have seen that PDP has extended its screening deadline because nobody has shown up for the contest. The extension has also expired. And nobody has showed up for the contest. So I don’t need to tell you, it is a crumbling party.

” We are the greatest beneficiary of the crumbling party. So we welcome you honestly. We welcome you to a party with a progressive ideology. To a party that believes in the rule of law. To the party that believes in internal democracy. To the party that believes in engagement.To the party that says no discrimination.

” We are the most peaceful party in Nigeria—the most peaceful party in Africa. Because we believe in internal democracy, ” he said.

He commended the Deputy President of the Senate for encouraging people from other political parties to join APC.

” We have seen that distinguished Senator Barau is going beyond Kano. He is liberating those people, especially those who are committed to democracy. He is convincing them to join our party, not only from Kano State, not only from the northern part of this country, but from the whole country. So the distinguished Senator Barau is a real general. So we assure you, Allah will provide his ambition,” he said.