𝐄𝐱-𝐊𝐨𝐠𝐢 𝐠𝐨𝐯 𝐖𝐚𝐝𝐚, 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐀𝐏𝐂

Vice President Kashim Shettima on Monday received former Kogi State governor Idris Wada and several opposition figures who officially defected to the All Progressives Congress during a ceremony in Lokoja.

The defectors included the 2023 deputy governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party in Kogi State, Sam Abenemi, alongside other prominent politicians from various parts of the state.

Speaking at the event, Shettima expressed delight over the development, describing it as a major boost for the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections. “It gladdens my heart to see this day. I am pleased that good governance is at play in Kogi State. This is a new chapter in the life of APC in Kogi State and in Nigeria. I am particularly delighted to receive an elder statesman. Capt Wada, we are the confluence of progressives together,” he said.

He added that the wave of defections into the APC reflected a growing coalition of influential figures across the country. “You have joined the family that brings peace and progress to the people of Nigeria. You will not regret coming into the progressives.”

The Vice President also said he would brief President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the development. “The message from the Confluence State today is that President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s victory in 2027 is total,” he stated.

The new entrants were later decorated with APC flags.

Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Wada said joining the ruling party was a decision rooted in conviction. According to him, President Tinubu’s economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidy, had begun to yield results. “Since then we see a drop in the price of foodstuff daily,” he claimed.

He further stated, “The naira has appreciated against the dollar, the economy generally has picked up, and the President has taken the country out of a distressed economy. The dividends of democracy under Mr President are numerous. With these reasons, we are taking the bold step to cross over to the APC today. We must unite with Mr President to ensure his victory in 2027.”

Wada picked up his APC membership card on Saturday in Odu, Dekina LGA.

The former governor, who served from 2012 to 2016 under the PDP, lost his re-election bid in 2015 after a supplementary poll followed the death of APC candidate Abubakar Audu.

His defection comes just two days after a mass decamping of PDP and Labour Party leaders in Plateau State, where Senate President Godswill Akpabio and other senior APC officials welcomed new members into the party.