Several stakeholders and former members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area (LGA) of Kogi State have joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
The defectors were warmly received by Governor Yahaya Bello at the banquet hall of the Governor’s Office on Monday.
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In his welcome address, the governor told them that the APC provides equal opportunities for both old and new members.
He encouraged opposition politicians to join the party to contribute their quota to his administration’s efforts at enhancing the socio-economic well-being of the people of Kogi State.
The governor also announced that the state university in Okunland, initiated under his administration, would enrol its first students before the end of his tenure.
Bello urged the people not only to unite for political participation but also to foster stronger bonds that could attract socio-economic development to the state, noting that a politically united Kogi had a lot to benefit under the current administration, both at the federal and state levels.
Speaking on behalf of the defectors, a former member of the state House of Assembly and immediate past PDP treasurer in the area, Alfred Bello, highlighted what he described as the governor’s exceptional infrastructure development and exemplary leadership.
He also mentioned inclusiveness, fairness, justice and equity as the reasons for the defections to the APC.
He commended the governor for establishing a state-owned university in Okunland, stressing that access to tertiary education had been lacking for the Okun people in Kogi State under previous administrations.
The former PDP chieftain assured the governor that he and his fellow members, including other Okun individuals, would work towards the success of the APC in the November 11 governorship election in the state.
The PDP members who joined the ruling party are Enimola Dare, Janet Ikusemo, Joseph Ayeribe, Aiyepeku Paul, and Joseph Olorunfemi, among others.
The defectors assured the governor of their unflinching support ahead of the November 11 poll in the state.
