A former chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Umar Salah, has defected to the All Progressives Congress in Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State, ahead of the 2027 general election.
Salah was received into the APC on Saturday by the Chairman of the Sokoto State Universal Basic Education Board, Umaru Nagwari Tambuwal, with the support of the Commissioner for Basic and Secondary Education, Prof. Ahmad Ladan Ala.
His defection followed a meeting with Sokoto State Governor, Ahmed Aliyu, at the Government House in Sokoto.
Explaining his decision, Salah attributed his movement to the APC to what he described as the developmental strides of the Aliyu administration across the state.
“Governor Ahmed Aliyu has done a lot for the state through the execution of various developmental projects aimed at improving the quality of life of the citizenry,” he said.
Salah said the projects had convinced him and his supporters to align with the ruling party and pledged his “total support” and that of his followers to the governor ahead of the 2027 elections.
Nagwari Tambuwal, while welcoming the new entrant, said Salah would be treated on equal terms with other APC members.
“There is no discrimination in the APC,” he said, assuring the defector of the same rights and privileges enjoyed by other members.
The latest movement comes against a backdrop of political realignment in Sokoto as parties prepare for the 2027 elections.
The ADC has also been expanding its presence in the state. In July, hundreds of APC supporters in Samo Village, Tambuwal Local Government Area, announced their defection to the ADC, citing economic hardship and insecurity.
The movement of Salah in the opposite direction illustrates the fluidity of party affiliations in the state ahead of the next general election.
Reports in July also emerged of prominent ADC figures in Sokoto moving to the APC, including former Sokoto North Local Government chairman Jibo Mazuga and former state Assembly member Hassan Romo, who represented Tambuwal Local Government Area.
The political competition has intensified following the entry of prominent opposition figures into the ADC. Former Sokoto State governor and serving Senator Aminu Tambuwal left the PDP for the ADC in March, citing internal disputes and divisions within the PDP.
The ADC subsequently attracted a number of opposition lawmakers, while the APC has continued to receive defectors from opposition parties.
In Sokoto, the APC has sought to emphasise the record of Governor Ahmed Aliyu as part of its mobilisation strategy.
At a stakeholders’ meeting in Tambuwal earlier this year, state APC chairman Isah Sadik Achida highlighted government projects and urged party members to strengthen the party at the grassroots.
Salah’s decision adds another individual movement to an increasingly competitive political environment in Sokoto, where the APC and ADC have been working to expand their grassroots structures.
For Salah, the immediate priority is support for the Aliyu administration and the APC as political actors across the state begin preparations for the 2027 elections.
