PDP in dilemma over three Kebbi senators’ defection to APC.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kebbi State is facing a huge electoral defeat after three of its prominent lawmakers, who are considered critical power brokers within the party, officially defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The development comes after last week’s stakeholder conference in Birnin Kebbi, when Governor Nasir Idris intimated that the senators will soon join the APC. While many of their followers deserted during the governor’s local government visit last year, the senators have been mute until now.
Their defection comes at a critical time for the PDP, as it prepares for its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on May 27, 2025.
The three senators, Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Yahaya Abubakar Abdullahi (Kebbi North), and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South), announced their departure after meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. They were led to the meeting by Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, the APC National Chairman.
The meeting was also attended by Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris, Sokoto State Governor Ahmad Aliyu, and Senator Atiku Bagudu, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning.
Their defection is viewed as a giant boost to the APC’s political strength in Kebbi and at the national level, particularly ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The new blow severely undermines the PDP’s already frail organisation in Kebbi. Sani Dododo, the state’s PDP Publicity Secretary, recently publicly accused the senators of tricking party supporters and delaying their defection to do maximum damage.
In reaction to the escalating issue, an unusual meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum has been called, the first of its type, as such sessions are typically reserved for incumbent governors.
According to insiders, the agenda includes developing consensus ahead of the party’s national convention as well as debates about the zoning of party headquarters. Meanwhile, there is ongoing debate about who would emerge as the new face of the opposition in Kebbi.
Former Minister of Justice and Attorney General Abubakar Malami has recently separated himself from the APC, publicly withdrawing from the CPC caucus supporting President Tinubu’s re-election quest.
Although Malami has yet to proclaim his allegiance to another political party, his absence from APC events and political forums has fuelled speculation that he is establishing himself as a key opposition figure in the state.