Date: 2019-01-16

Thousands of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in Kaiama, Kaiama local government area of Kwara state have defected

to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state. The defectors led by the former deputy speaker of the Kwara state House of Assembly, Hon Mohammed Suka-Baba, formally declared for the APC in Verna ward of Kaiama local government area.

The defectors openly burnt the membership cards of their former party.

Giving reasons for his defection, Suka-baba said his resolve to defect to APC was borne out promptings from his supporters in the area.

Said he: "As a Fulani man, I am defecting to APC because my people want APC; I want to say I am back as I was a founding member of APC in the state. APC is a progressive party and anybody that wants the progress of Kwara state and Nigeria, in general, must join APC.

"I am not joining APC to create any faction in the party. I still talk to some of them in PDP to join the party of the progressives which APC.

"I am also assuring that by next week we shall be receiving large number of PDP members from Kwara north who will be joining the APC. I am confident that my coming will more people to join the APC in the entire Kwara state."

Receiving the defectors, the state APC Chairman Hon Bashir Bolarinwa said Suka-baba was spurred by the retrogression in his community to decamp to the APC.

Said he: "Hon Sukababa is leaving the party of darkness to that of light; we are here today because a politician means well for his community is joining the APC. APC is not a party that makes unfulfilled promises.

"PDP knows that it has lost the forthcoming elections that is why it has resorted to engaging in violence and destruction of our billboards. They have missed it. They will quit Kwara for us come 2019. And that will be the end of underdevelopment in the state."

Hon Bolarinwa charged the party faithful to remain unprovoked, charging them to vote all the candidates of the party and guide their votes from the marauders on election days.

"For Saraki to think he has majority in Kwara state would amount to an illusion in grandeur. From Ekiti to Afon and Kiama, it is a morbid tale of infrastructure neglect and deceit. And the gale of defection to APC from the PDP had been tremendous. Nobody can stop or derail the liberation train. Everybody is committed to the liberation of Kwara State. The O to ge train is unstoppable," he added.