By Peter Onyekachukwu 
By Abubakar Auwal, Sokoto
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Sokoto State has suffered a major blow following the defection of some of its prominent women leaders and youth mobilisers to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), citing neglect and lack of internal democracy.
Leading the defectors was Hajiya Ummu Gada, the PDP Zonal Women Leader for Sokoto Central, who announced her move at the APC secretariat on Thursday night. She was joined by Hajiya Shafa Yusuf Kware and Zainab Ibrahim, women leaders from Kware and Sokoto South local governments respectively, along with Alhaji Buhari Abubakar, the PDP Youth Leader in Kware.
Gada accused the PDP of sidelining committed members and running the party like a secret cult, where a few individuals dominate decisions without consultation. “I left because the PDP has no regard for its members. The party is being run like a cult,” she said.
She praised Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s administration for its development strides in the state, saying her decision was also inspired by the positive changes under the APC-led government. “Sokoto is beginning to look like Dubai with the level of infrastructure being put in place,” she said. “Workers are now receiving salaries promptly, and the people can see real development.”
Gada, who referred to Governor Aliyu as her “younger brother,” described the APC as her political home and expressed confidence that more PDP members across the 23 local governments would soon join her. “Destiny may have taken me to the PDP, but I have returned to where I truly belong,” she added.
In an emotional appeal, she asked for forgiveness from former governor and APC leader in Sokoto, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, for her time away from the party. “Whatever I am today is because of Senator Wamakko’s mentorship. I beg him to forgive me and welcome me back as his daughter,” she pleaded.
Receiving the defectors, APC State Chairman Alhaji Isa Sadiq Achida welcomed them warmly and assured them of full integration into the party. He said the APC was open to all progressives willing to contribute to good governance and would not discriminate against new entrants.
Reacting to the defection, the Sokoto PDP Chairman, Hon. Bello Goronyo, said the move posed no threat to the party. He maintained that the PDP remains united and that leadership vacancies created by the exit of the defectors would be filled without crisis. “In politics, people are free to leave or stay. There’s no cause for alarm,” he said.
Despite the PDP’s assurance, political watchers believe the defection of grassroots figures such as Gada and others may have significant implications ahead of future elections, especially if it sparks a wider movement across the state.