While the APC said it received 1,900 defectors from PDP in one local government area, the opposition party said the claim was false
The main opposition party in Katsina State, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted a claim by the ruling All Progressive Congress(APC) in the state that 1,900 PDP members in Danmusa Local Government defected to the APC on Sunday.
Danmusa is the hometown of the immediate former Secretary to the Government of the State, Mustapha Inuwa, who defected from the APC to the PDP.
The APC campaign council spokesperson, Ahmed Abdulkadir, in a statement titled “Katsina APC gubernatorial candidate dislodges former SGS in his hometown” said the defectors included a popular politician, Sani Abụ, also locally known as Minister.
“The Katsina State APC Gubernatorial Candidate, Dr Dikko Umar Radda stormed Ɗanmusa Local Government Area and took over the supporters of the erstwhile Secretary to Katsina State Government, Mustapha Inuwa.
“More than 1900 supporters of the former SGS crossed-carpets from mainly PDP and other parties into the APC. They were received by the APC Katsina State Gubernatorial Candidate himself, Dr. Dikko Radda.
” The decampees were led by one of most prominent local government chairmen Ɗanmusa local government had ever produced, Sani Abu Minister. Sani Abu led the complete structure of the PDP from each of the 11 wards of the local government area into the folds of the APC,” Mr Abdulkadir said.
Where are the decampees?
But in a swift reaction, the PDP’s campaign council spokesperson, Kabir Yar’adu’a, asked the APC to present the decampees.
Mr Yar’adu’a said the APC is nothing but an “architect of deceits and fake news.
He said in the number of registered voters released by the Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC) 10 local government areas, including Danmusa, with security concerns had 142,261 voters.
Mr Yar’adu’a also said some of the voters including card-carrying members of political parties have been displaced due to the activities of terrorists in the area.
“How therefore APC gets its 1,900 decampees out of that figure? This is apart from those voters who were displaced by banditry, and those who migrated and relocated to other places.
“It therefore treats our imagination for the Director of APC campaign council to make such callous, unsubstantiated and biased judgment by reportedly conscripting such figure and arriving at wrong conclusion.
“It is most surprising therefore that the rented crowd from other local Governments of Katsina State can be paraded as political decampees in Danmusa Local Government Area.
“APC as the architect of deceits and fake news have gone further with misrepresentation of facts and the purchase of Voters Cards from innocent electorates aimed at reducing the much-anticipated victory of the PDP in the upcoming 2023 General Elections,” Mr Yar’adu’a added.
