***urges other political parties to join hands to build New Niger
All Progressive Congress (APC) chieftain and former commissioner for Information, Culture and Tourism in Niger state, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa on has received 120 defectors from the main opposition party, the People Democratic Party (PDP) in his Gulu Vatsa ward, Lapai local government area of the state into the All Progressive Congress party(APC).
The defectors who were mostly youths and women, said they decided to switched allegiance from the opposition party to the ruling APC because the former commissioner has always identified with them despite differences in political affiliation.
Recalled that the former commissioner was in his Constituency during the Sallah celebration where he doled out cash to the people regardless of their political parties and urged them to put party politics behind, especially now that the elections were over to join hands with the Umaru Mohammed Bago led administration to build a new Niger State
The defectors who were received at the APC ward secretariat in Gulu Vatsa on Saturday said they were satisfied with the performance of Governor Umaru Mohammed Bago in the last one year in office and therefore decided to join the train.
One of the defectors who spoke on behalf of other decampees, particularly commended the governor for addressing the security challenges in their area and the return of peace to Gulu Vatsa after years of banditry and other criminal activities.
According to him, their decision to join the ruling APC was not for any material gain, “but because we are happy with the performance of the governor in the last one year in office and the relationship that the former commissioner has kept with everyone in the community regardless of our party differenes.
“We will ensure that more people join the party in our community so that there will be no opposition here. That will attract more development to this community”, he added.
Welcoming the defectors, the former commissioner said he was happy that the people appreciated the good works that the APC government is doing in the state, stressing that “even the blind man will know that the last one year has being eventful in the state”.
He assured the defectors that they will not regret their decision to join the ruling party in the state, adding that “the new Niger agenda of the governor is real and not just a mere pronouncement”.
He urged other political parties in the state to adopt governor Bago as the sole candidate for the 2027 governorship in the state, pointing out that “the governor has already secured the second term because of his aggressive transformation of the state at all levels”.