The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate for governor in Zamfara, Dr Ahmad Hashim, and the Young Progressive Party (YPP) candidate for deputy governor, Alhaji Abubakar Gandi, have left their parties and joined the All Progressives Congress (APC).

This is according to a statement released on Tuesday in Gusau by Yusuf Idris, the state’s publicity secretary for the APC.

Idris said, “The opposition political parties, including the ADC, YPP, AAC, and NNPP, have received a serious blow in Zamfara following the defection of their top candidates in the upcoming general elections to the ruling APC.

“The ADC governorship candidate, Dr Ahmad Hashim, led three senatorial candidates, five House of Reps candidates and 11 state House of Assembly candidates to the Gusau Government House, where they announced their defection to the APC.

“During the event, the YPP deputy governorship candidate, Alhaji Abubakar Gandi, Zamfara West senatorial candidate and Talata Mafara Local Government Chairman and Secretary of the party also announced their defection to the APC.”

Idris said that the party’s candidates for the national and state houses of assembly, as well as the state deputy chairman and secretary of the party, Jamilu Dinawa Isah Saminu, and the party’s organizing secretary, all joined the party in power, the APC.

“The progressive party also received the African Action Congress (AAC) senatorial candidate of Zamfara West, Hon. Bello Danda and the party’s Chairman and Secretary of Talata Mafara Local Government, Zulkifilu Ma’azu and Huzaifa Zubairu, respectively.

Read Related Also: 2023: Edwin Clark accuses Ifeanyi Okowa of betrayal

“The House of Representatives candidate of New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) for Maru/Bungudu Federal Constituency, Yunusa Yalbai, also announced his defection to the APC winning train.

“In their separate remarks, the defectors said they were satisfied with the APC- led administration in the state under Gov. Bello Matawalle which motivated them to join the party,” he added.

The defectors were overwhelmingly positive about the state government’s efforts to combat crime and other forms of insecurity.

Sen. Tijjani Yahaya-Kaura, the head of the State APC Defectors Reception Committee, told them they had made the right choice by joining the party.

Yahaya-Kaura, also the Director-General of the APC Governorship Campaign Council in the state, said that everyone who switched parties would be treated the same as any other party member.

He told them to keep working on getting people to vote for the APC so that it could win the next general elections in the state and Nigeria as a whole.