More than 60,000 members and supporters of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Jega Local Government Area of Kebbi State have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The defectors were received by Kebbi State Governor, Nasir Idris, at the Government House in Birnin Kebbi on Monday, according to a statement signed by the Governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yahaya Sarki.

Speaking on behalf of the group, former ADC Coordinator in Jega LGA and former House of Representatives aspirant for the Aliero/Gwandu/Jega Federal Constituency, Alhaji Aminu Mustapha, said they decided to leave the ADC because of what they described as the achievements of Governor Idris and the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

He said, “Our decision to join the APC was informed by the remarkable achievements of Governor Nasir Idris and the purposeful leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

Mustapha added that the APC had shown commitment to the welfare of Nigerians and remained a party with strong grassroots support across the country.

Other representatives of the defectors also praised the governor’s leadership and development projects. They pledged their loyalty to the APC and promised to support the party.

In his response, Governor Idris thanked the new members for joining the APC and assured them they would be treated equally with existing party members.

He said “they would enjoy the same rights, opportunities, and privileges as every other APC member,” while urging them to remain united and work towards the party’s success in the 2027 general elections.

The governor also highlighted his administration’s achievements in education, healthcare, agriculture, water supply, rural development, road construction, and youth and women empowerment. He said his government would continue to provide the dividends of democracy to the people of Kebbi State.

The event was attended by the acting APC state chairman, members of the State Executive Council, party leaders, and other stakeholders.

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has described reports that more than 17 million Nigerians, including infants and young children, are facing acute hunger as a growing humanitarian disaster created by the President Bola Tinubu administration’s incompetence, misplaced priorities and failed policies.

ADC’s spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi said Nigerians are dying of starvation under his administration.

He was reacting to a United Nations World Food Programme, WFP, report showing that more than 17 million Nigerians across nine conflict-affected northern states are facing acute hunger.

A statement signed by Abdullahi, condemned the Tinubu-led APC Federal Government for what it described as its “cruel indifference” to the growing humanitarian crisis brought about principally by its failure to contain the banditry and terrorism that has displaced farming communities, as well as the harsh economic policies that have pushed food beyond the reach of millions of Nigerians.

The full statement read: “The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has received with profound concern the latest assessment by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), which confirms that Nigeria is now facing one of its worst food security emergencies in almost a decade.”

“According to the WFP, more than 17 million Nigerians across nine conflict-affected northern states are now facing Crisis, Emergency or Catastrophic levels of food insecurity.”

“This represents an increase of almost two million people from previous projections. In Borno State alone, more than three million people are acutely food insecure, while the combined figure for Borno, Adamawa and Yobe has risen to 6.2 million people.

“These are not opposition figures. They are not campaign slogans. They are the findings of the world’s leading humanitarian agency on hunger.

“In other words, the hunger confronting millions of Nigerians today is not a natural disaster. It is an APC-inspired government-created humanitarian disaster.

“This humanitarian crisis is also the predictable outcome of a government that has failed to secure Nigerian lives, failed to protect Nigerian farmers and failed to address the cost-of-living crisis that it has created.

“For three years, the Tinubu government has repeatedly told Nigerians that the pain that we experiencing is temporary. The WFP has now confirmed what Nigerians have been saying all along: insecurity is spreading, agricultural production is declining, food inflation is worsening and millions of us, the Nigerian people, are being pushed deeper into hunger.”

The Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, has criticized the Delta State House of Assembly, led by the All Progressive Congress, APC, for declaring vacant the seat of Honourable Collins Egbetanah, who represents Udu Constituency.

Additionally, the House also labeled the lawmaker a persona non grata due to his defection from the APC to the NDC.

The NDC condemned the.Assembly’s action as politically abhorrent and unacceptable, characterizing it as an instance of vindictive politics and selective justice being enacted by the Delta State House of Assembly.

Honourable Egbetanah was elected on the APC platform and served as a minority member of the House until the Governor of Delta State and several members of the Assembly defected from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to join him in the APC.

However, those who switched allegiance as loyalists of the governor began to perceive Honourable Egbetanah as a threat, given his status as an original APC member and his steadfast loyalty to the former Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege.

As a result, the Delta State House of Assembly has withheld Honourable Egbetanah’s salaries and entitlements for several months.

“We, at the NDC, consider this action to be politically abhorrent and unacceptable. The process by which his seat was declared vacant is unconstitutional and infringes upon Egbetanah’s rights to free assembly and association,” stated a release signed by Osa Director Esq, the National Publicity Secretary of the NDC.

“We are calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reject this act of illegality and political intimidation by the Delta State House of Assembly.

“As we take every legal step to resolve this matter we urge the Delta state house of Assembly to allow Hon. Egbetanah performed his constitutional duties for which he was elected to do by his people.

“The NDC as a party is committed to the people of Udu Constituency receiving the benefits and dividends of democracy through the effective representation by Hon Egbetanah. Our commitment to service to the people cannot be abridged by any form of legislative rascality.”