Over 2,000 representatives of more than 10,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, across Zamfara State’s 14 local government areas have defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The defectors were received by a member of the House of Representatives in Birnin Magaji/Kaura Namoda Federal Constituency, Aminu Sani Jaji.

Speaking at his Gusau residence on Sunday, Jaji expressed satisfaction with the mass defection, describing it as a clear indication that the APC would reclaim the state and sweep all elective positions in the 2027 elections.

“I am glad that the defectors have expressed readiness to join and support our great party, the APC, through the doors of my Jajiyya movement. This shows they are satisfied with our ideology of playing politics for the development of the state,” he said.

The lawmaker assured the new members of equal treatment within the party, adding that they would not regret their decision to join the APC.

“I am optimistic that whoever emerges as the APC flag bearer in any position will surely win, from the presidential and gubernatorial elections to other political seats in Zamfara by 2027. There is now only one political party in the state,” he added.

Jaji further highlighted the renewed unity within the Zamfara APC, noting that the divisions that led to the party’s 2019 defeat had been resolved.

“There is perfect unity and mutual understanding among the leaders and members of our great party. We know what led to our failure in 2019, and we have resolved those issues to ensure history does not repeat itself,” he said.

He also described Zamfara as an APC stronghold, recalling that the state played a key role in delivering President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election.

The All Progressives Congress, APC, in Niger State has flagged off its campaign for the forthcoming local government council elections scheduled for November 1, 2025.

Flagging off the campaign in Minna, the state governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, reiterated the commitment of his administration, at both state and local levels, to improving the lives of citizens.

Bago called on the people of the state to vote massively for APC in all 25 chairmanship and 274 councillorship positions.

While praying for peaceful and successful elections, he charged APC stakeholders and supporters across the state to work diligently to ensure a resounding victory for the party.

The Speaker of the Niger State House of Assembly, who also serves as the Director-General of the APC State Campaign Council for the council elections, Abdulmalik Sarkindaji, described the forthcoming polls as a litmus test of the party’s integrity, capacity, and popularity, expressing confidence that all APC candidates would emerge victorious.

The APC National Vice Chairman (North Central), Mu’azu Bawa Rijau, who represented the National Chairman of the party, stated that APC had recorded numerous achievements nationwide, reflecting the party’s change mantra. He therefore urged the electorate to vote for the party in the council elections.

The Niger State APC Chairman, Alhaji Aminu Musa Bobi, affirmed that the party would abide by all laid-down electoral guidelines and accept the outcome of the elections, while encouraging party faithful and the general public to come out en masse to vote for APC candidates.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, urged residents of the state to reciprocate the efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Bago by voting for APC candidates to sustain the delivery of democratic dividends.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed that he rejected a proposal to make former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, his successor in 2007, citing El-Rufai’s lack of maturity at the time.

Obasanjo made the disclosure in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Friday, October 24, during the second edition of the Ajibosin Platform annual symposium, themed “Importance of Leadership in Governance.”

The former president explained that the idea had been put forward by former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, who had recommended El-Rufai as a potential successor. El-Rufai served under Obasanjo’s administration as the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises before being appointed Minister of the Federal Capital Territory from 2003 to 2007.

Recounting the events in a lighthearted exchange with Chidoka during the symposium, Obasanjo said, “He was pushing when I was leaving government that his friend, El-Rufai, should be brought in as my successor.” Turning to Chidoka, who was seated among the panelists, Obasanjo asked, “No be so?” to which the former minister nodded in agreement.

Obasanjo continued, “I did not yield to the pressure. Later, he said, ‘I suggested this person, why didn’t you agree?’ I said El-Rufai needed to mature. When I left government and, many years later, he saw the performances of El-Rufai, he came back to me and said, ‘You’re absolutely correct. El-Rufai needed to mature.’”

While he declined to endorse El-Rufai at the time, Obasanjo said he held respect for both El-Rufai and Chidoka, describing them as individuals with “special attributes” who contributed significantly to his administration’s success.

Speaking on the essence of leadership, Obasanjo stressed that true leadership requires character, exposure, experience, and proper training. “It’s only in politics that I found out there is no training for leadership,” he said. “Even among armed robbers, I was told there is apprenticeship. But it’s only in politics that there is no training in leadership. That’s not good enough.”

In his keynote address, Osita Chidoka argued that Nigeria’s challenges stem largely from what he called “the politics of alibi,” where excuses replace accountability. He said leadership should be measured not by speeches but by systems that ensure efficiency, transparency, and continuity.

“Leadership finds its true measure not in charisma but in the systems it leaves behind. Nigeria’s problem has never been a shortage of ideas; it is the absence of systems strong enough to outlive their authors,” Chidoka said. He urged leaders to move from rhetoric to measurable results through stronger accountability systems and institutional monitoring.

The symposium’s convener, Aare Olanrewaju Bakinson, said the event aimed to deepen the discourse on ethical and effective leadership. “Leadership is not just about power; it’s about responsibility, vision, and service,” he said.

Among those present at the event were Senator Shuaibu Salis (Ogun Central), the Olowu of Owu Kingdom, Oba Saka Matemilola, the Olota of Ota, Oba Adeyemi Obalanlege, and former Ogun State First Lady, Mrs. Olufunsho Amosun.