In what is a political twist, a lawmaker representing Katsina North Senatorial District, Ahmad Babba Kaita, has dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to join the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Babba Kaita announced his defection from APC in a statement by his media aide, Abdulkadir Lawal.
Katsina North senatorial zone comprises 12 local government areas, including Daura, President Muhammad Buhari’s hometown.
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“As a loyal party man and responsive democrat whose expansive support base in his constituency has remained pivotal to his passion for the reciprocal growth and development of his people, Distinguished Senator Ahmad Babba Kaita has followed the recent events in Katsina with keen interest and deep concern.
“Of notable implication among many of these numerous concerns is the gradual loss of credibility in Governor Masari-led administration, particularly in the avowed refusal to conduct local government elections across the state in time.
“The wilful refusal of the administration to uphold the basic foundation of democracy has also found expression in the marginalisation of critical stakeholders by the state government and the leadership of the party at the state level.
“The recent Congresses at state and ward levels, with no identified genuine pro-government delegates, are clearly a rape of grassroots politicians and genuine party foot-soldiers who were rigged out of open contest.
“The total absence of a level playing field speaks volumes about an already orchestrated decline to anti-democratic principles and challenges every good conscience including ours. All politics is local.
“As an advocate of transparency, accountability and continuous entrenchment of popular will, Senator Kaita cannot afford to continue sharing the tent of undemocratic merchandise clearly being executed against his people by the state government and party leadership.
“A clear stock taking of where Katsina state stands today, is already enough burden on good conscience. Our good people, in their millions have excused deprivation, poverty and hunger for too long.
“They have endured the risk to their lives and wellbeing imposed by the incapacity of the state government to tackle insecurity head-on.
“They have been denied enough, already, by the state government. We cannot deny them their right of choice. The serial denial of the people’s mandate at the recent Congresses among other related developments has finally found expression in our answer to the clarion call of our people to vacate the APC following very wide consultations.
“Senator Ahmad Babba Kaita is not a bandwagon politician. His exemplary and robust representation in the Nigerian Senate is to the admiration of all, and with significant, visible impacts in the areas of infrastructural and human capital development across the three Senatorial zones of the state. There is a room to do more,” the statement read.
