SAN FRANCISCO, September 16, (THEWILL) – The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Borno State, weekend, lost 31 strong members of the party to All Progressives Congress (APC), which is the ruling party in the state.
The defectors are believed to be members of the governorship campaign organisation of Alhaji Mohammed Goni in the 2011 governorship election.
Their defection is coming less than two weeks after 32 leaders of the PDP, including 15 State executives and 17 executives of the party in Hawul Local Government Area of the State, also defected to APC.
The defectors said they joined the APC because of Governor Kashim Shettima’s persuasive style of governance; his good management of the Boko Haram crisis and top record of achievements in different sectors despite the security situation in the State.
Secretary of Planning and Strategy of the Mohammed Goni Campaign organisation , Engineer Kabir Wanori, who led the latest group of defectors to the Government House, Maiduguri at the weekend, said they have since realised that no “true Borno man has business working for the PDP given the manner in which the PDP-led Federal Government showed lackadaisical attitude in assisting the State in the darkest days of the Boko Haram insurgency.”
The group accused the Federal Government under President Goodluck Jonathan of giving Borno ”a paltry N200 million as relief after giving over N20 billion to Cross River over Bakassi and N3 billion to actors in the Nigerian film industry called Nollywood, whereas Borno’s problem is about life and death as well as destruction of property worth billions of naira.”
The group handed over a promotional audio tape with songs composed to spread messages on the efforts of the governor.
Governor Shettima expressed his appreciation and told the new APC members that they will not be regarded as defectors because they came at the formation level of the APC.
He said the group and the two others before it have equal rights with officials and members of the ANPP, ACN and CPC who merged to form the APC. He assured them of level playing ground and fair play while calling on them to help his administration in its determination to re-invent Borno State.
