The senator representing Adamawa North Senatorial District, Elisha Ishaku Abbo has defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Senate president announced his defection in a letter addressed to the Red Chambers and read by the Senate President Ahmed Lawan.
Abbo who said he left the PDP due to alleged mismanagement of the party by Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri of Adamawa State, added that the development had led to the polarization of the party in the state.
He also noted that he joined APC because of President Muhammadu Buhari’s numerous youth empowerment initiatives, and that Buhari had lived up to the expectations of his constituents.
He was immediately welcomed by the Senators of the All Progressives Congress and moved to their row.
It would be recalled that Abbo was elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 general election.
With his defection, APC now has 60 senators, while PDP 42. The ninth Senate has six vacant seats.
His letter reads: “I write to formally inform you Sir, the Senate and indeed Nigerians of my defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“This is as a result of the mismanagement of the PDP by Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri in Adamawa State which led to the crisis in the party that in turn led to the polarization of the party in the state (PDP and PDP).
“Today I join the APC and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhamadu Buhari to build the Nigeria of our dreams.
“The journey may be long, but we are on the right track as I strongly believe that by the end of the tenure of Mr. President, Nigeria will be a better place.
“My Senate President Sir, it is worthy of note that in the history of Nigeria’s nascent democracy, specifically from 1999 till date, no President has paid attention to the welfare of Nigerian Citizens like President Muhamadu Buhari as it is evident in packages such as:
i. Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT);
ii. Homegrown School Feeding Program (HGFP);
iii. Trader Money;
iv. Market Money;
v. Farmers’ Money;
vi. NPower;
vii. Special Public Works Programme, currently employing 1000 persons from each of the 774 local Government Areas;
viii. National Agricultural Land Development Authority (NALDA): Buhari Young Farmer’s Network;
ix. Artisans and Transportation Grants; x. Guaranteed Off-take Scheme.
xi. CAC Business Formalization Scheme;
xii. Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises (MSME) Grants among others.
“Thus, in living up to the expectation of the good people of Adamawa North Senatorial District, I hereby defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) with effect from today being Wednesday, the 25th day of November, 2020.”
