100,000 APC Members in Adamawa Defect to SDP

One hundred thousand supporters of Chief Emmanuel Bello across 21 local government areas of Adamawa State have defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The defectors led by Bello on Sunday in Yola, the state capital, told journalists at  a press briefing that their actions were informed by the  confusion, lack of cohesion, impunity and gross misconduct in the APC.

Bello who was a former member of House of Representatives and a governorship aspirant on the platform of the APC in 2014, said he envisaged then that moving from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC would help him realise his ambition to better the lot of the people in the state but his desire was truncated by impunity in APC.

According to him, "I was a member of APC, having contested elections in the party's primaries for the governorship election in 2014 in Adamawa State.

"The story of that primary election is available for those of you who may want to research on what is still being talked about as a watershed mass mobilisation of the people of the state by a political movement; we galvanised for the good people of the state, but was unfortunately thwarted by some dominant forces in the state then.

"I have decided to move out of confusion in the APC with my one hundred thousand supporters across the 21 local government areas of the state to graciously join the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to actualise my desire for our people."

Bello, who also declared publicly his ambition to run for governorship election on SDP platform in 2019, said he has resigned from the APC and has registered with the SDP on March 4, 2018, at his ward in Garkida, Gombi local government area of the state.

"My decision was informed after due consultations from my supporters and my political associates across the state, and we agreed to move to SDP because the party's manifesto represents our philosophy, ideals and fundamental political positions.

"I am satisfied with the manifesto of the SDP, It is a blueprint l will like to implement in Adamawa State and by extension, by an SDP president for Nigeria in general," he said

Bello said when he was a member of the House of Representatives his track records is there for many to see because he did a lot of people-oriented projects in his constituency such as renovation of hospitals and primary schools.