No fewer than 500 members of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Kano State crossed over to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday, declaring their allegiance to the ruling party.
RoundReports reports that the defection took place during a reception ceremony that doubled as the launch of a large-scale empowerment programme.
The defectors were formally welcomed by Engr Umar Abdullahi Umar, Executive Director of Technical Services at the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), who assured them of full integration and equal treatment within their new political fold.
Umar, son of former Kano governor and immediate past APC National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, commended the decampees for what he described as their "courage to see the truth and join the APC, the strongest party in Africa."
The event, held at the Armani Event Centre in Kano, saw the rollout of the first phase of an empowerment initiative spearheaded by Umar.
More than 3,000 APC supporters from across the state received agricultural and economic support items aimed at improving livelihoods and boosting productivity.
A statement issued in Abuja by Edwin Olofu on behalf of Dr Ganduje said beneficiaries were drawn from all 44 local government areas of the state.
Items distributed included tricycles, mini-trucks, fertilisers, herbicides, improved seedlings, agro-processing machines, solar-powered irrigation pumps and other modern farming tools.
Addressing the crowd, Umar said the intervention was only "the tip of the iceberg," adding that subsequent phases, particularly those targeting youths and women, were already in the pipeline.
He said his commitment to supporting people across Kano, beyond his Tofa/Dawakin-Tofa/Rimingado Federal Constituency, stemmed from a desire to uplift communities and consolidate the APC’s political footprint in the state.
"We have already begun plans for the next phase of this empowerment. This is not the end.
"Any APC member who did not receive support today should not lose hope; your turn will come," he said.
Umar urged recipients not to sell the items, saying that they were provided to enhance livelihoods and strengthen agricultural output.
He also acknowledged several Kano APC leaders, including his father, Ganduje; Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin; Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna; Murtala Sule Garo; Abba Bichi; and Mariya Bunkure, as his inspirations.
One Aminu Ahmad, a beneficiary who received fertiliser said the support would revive farming activities weakened by high input costs.
"High fertiliser prices reduced our farming output. Today, we feel rescued, and our morale has been boosted. Engr Umar is truly following in the footsteps of Baba Ganduje," he said.
Another recipient, who got a solar-powered irrigation pump, said it was the first time his community had benefited from such a project.
"This is the first of its kind. We thank Abba Ganduje, and we will repay good with good," he said.
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