Niger State Deputy Governor, 200 others dump PDP 15 days to polls

The Deputy Governor of Niger State, Ahmed Ibeto has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ibeto defected on Monday, January 19, along with 200 other political office holders.

The Deputy Governor announced his move from the ruling party to the opposition party in Minna, the state capital, during a meeting with journalists.

“I am on my way to welcome our party leader and presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, at Minna Airport for his campaign rally in Niger State,” he said.

Ibeto also reportedly stated that he had turned his back on the PDP due to the injustice meted out to him during the party’s governorship primaries which saw another person emerge winner.

“The electoral process that threw up Alhaji Umar Nasko as PDP governorship candidate was not in accordance with the PDP electoral law and the constitution,” Ibeto said.

“It is true we are defecting to APC because the primaries conducted were not in accordance with the PDP constitution. Myself and other aggrieved party members decided to petition the National Headquarters of the party on the outcome of the governorship primaries with a view to addressing the obvious injustice but met a brickwall. We were expecting justice from the party’s national office but nothing was forthcoming, hence we decided to join the APC,” he added.

Other defectors include commissioners, local government chairmen, members of the State House of Assembly and serving members of the National Assembly.

The mass defection comes just 15 days before the beginning of the 2015 general elections on February 14.