- Muhammad Sa'idu, a former Kaduna State Commissioner for Finance, defected from the ADC to the APC alongside thousands of supporters in Zaria on Saturday
- Sa'idu claimed his group built the ADC's structure from ward to state level before allegedly being forced out by individuals who hijacked the party
- Kaduna Governor Uba Sani welcomed the defectors and announced the APC had raised its 2027 vote target in the state from two million to three million
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
Zaria, Kaduna State - A former Kaduna State Commissioner for Finance, Muhammad Sa'idu, has declared that the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is politically finished in Kaduna State after leading a mass defection of what he described as more than 200,000 card-carrying members into the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Sa'idu was joined by former ADC governorship aspirant Jafaru Sani and former Senator Suleiman Abdu Kwari, among other political figures.
Source: Twitter
As reported by The Punch, he made the declaration on Saturday at a reception ceremony held in Zaria, where he and other ADC members were formally welcomed into the ruling party.
The former commissioner, who also served as Chief of Staff under ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai, said his group, Kaduna De-Initiatives, had constructed the ADC's entire grassroots structure before a leadership crisis forced them out.
"We built ADC with our 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," he said.
Sa'idu added that after comparing the ADC's primary election candidates with those of the APC, his group found no reason to remain with the opposition party. An emergency meeting of the group's steering committee then resolved to return to the APC.
Mass defection and 2027 warning
Sa'idu said the movement had been building for several weeks.
"As of one month ago, the number of card-carrying ADC members who defected with us was about 100,000. Between then and now, over 100,000 more defectors have also joined the APC," he claimed.
He went further to say the ADC no longer had any significant political figures left in Kaduna State, arguing that the defectors had effectively been the opposition.
"There is not a single bona fide politician remaining in the ADC. There is now no opposition in Kaduna State because we were the opposition," he said
The former commissioner predicted that the party would finish a distant third in the 2027 elections.
Governor Sani raises vote target to 3m
According to TheCable, Governor Uba Sani welcomed the defectors warmly, describing Sa'idu as principled and trustworthy.
"He is a man of the people, and even when he went to the ADC, we were confident that he would return home," the governor said.
Sani used the occasion to announce that the APC had revised its vote projection for Kaduna State upwards ahead of the 2027 general elections.
"Before now, we were promising to deliver two million votes, but we have now upgraded to three million votes, God willing," he said
He noted that Kaduna has 4.6 million registered voters, with 96 per cent already holding their Permanent Voter Cards.
The governor assured all new members that the party offered equal opportunities regardless of when they joined.
Sani said the APC would launch house-to-house campaigns across the state to mobilise support for President Bola Tinubu and other party candidates.
El-Rufai's allies dump his camp for APC
Meanwhile, Legit.ng also reported that several political figures once linked to El-Rufai rejoined the APC and moved toward the camp of incumbent Governor Uba Sani.
The group includes a former Chief of Staff, a former senator, a former deputy speaker, and a former SDP chairman in Kaduna State.
A former Kaduna commissioner confirmed the mass realignment, saying the politicians had decided to move as a group.
Source: Legit.ng