GOVERNOR RADDA LEADS DEFECTION PARADE AS THREE KATSINA PDP LAWMAKERS JOIN APC
In a move that reshapes the political landscape in Katsina State, Governor Dikko Umar Radda personally led a delegation to the House of Representatives to witness the defection of three federal lawmakers from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The governor arrived the green chamber on Thursday alongside former governor Ibrahim Shema, marking a rare display of political unity that straddles the old and new leadership of the state.
The defecting lawmakers—Hon. Balarabe Dabai (Bakori/Danja), Hon. Iliyasu Abubakar (Batsari/Safana/Dan-Musa), and Hon. Salisu Yusuf (Mashi/Dutse)—cited internal divisions and crisis within the PDP as the reason for their defection. In their letters read aloud by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, the lawmakers claimed that the PDP had lost direction both at the state and national levels.
Governor Radda’s presence added political weight to the ceremony, with a ceremonial handshake between the defectors and House leadership symbolising a realignment of loyalties. The latest wave follows similar defections earlier in the week, when six lawmakers from Delta State also abandoned the PDP for the APC, and two Labour Party legislators from Enugu crossed over to the PDP.
The defections highlight an ongoing shift in Nigeria’s legislative landscape as the 2027 elections begin to loom in political calculations. APC, now further consolidating its parliamentary majority, appears to be tightening its grip on political narratives nationwide.
