Mike Odeh James, KADUNA
Shuaibu Miqati, chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appeal and reconciliation committee in Kaduna, has expressed concern over the recent mass defection of party members to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The defections, which saw prominent figures like former Senator Shehu Sani, former Governor Muktar Ramalan Yero, and others join the APC, have been attributed to internal crises within the PDP.
Governor Uba Sani welcomed the defectors at a rally on Saturday. The list of those who left the PDP includes Suleiman Hunkuyi, the 2023 NNPP governorship candidate, Sani Shaaban, former House of Representatives member, and several other key members.
Miqati described the exodus as a “sad and worrisome development” in a statement released on Sunday. He acknowledged the internal issues within the PDP, particularly concerning party congresses and primary elections, but argued that these issues are not sufficient justification for defections, especially given the ongoing work of the appeal and reconciliation committee.
“It is indeed a very sad and most worrisome development,” Miqati stated. “While there are indeed issues as regards a number of events like party congresses and primary elections…it is not a sufficient reason for people to jump ship, more so that an appeal and reconciliation committee has been inaugurated by the PDP.”
He emphasized that disagreements and challenges are normal in any group, regardless of its homogeneity. While acknowledging the loss, he stressed that change is a constant in politics and predicted future defections from the APC to the PDP.
Miqati admitted that the PDP’s congresses were flawed and suggested that earlier outreach to aggrieved members could have prevented the defections. He urged members to remain calm and prepared for future political shifts, recalling the 2014 defections from the PDP, where many later returned. “If care is not taken, history would repeat itself,” he warned. “In 2014, a number of people left the PDP, and a handful of these people were back to the party. We live to see.”
