July 24, 2018

The Speaker, Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi, says the exit of Mr John Mamman, a retired Permanent Secretary in the state, and thousands of his supporters marks the end of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kokona Local Government Area of the state.
Reacting to the defection of Mamman to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday at Kokona, Abdullahi made this known described the defector as a renowned politician and a longest serving “general of PDP” in the area.
The speaker said that Mamman’s joining of the APC was a great loss and set back to the PDP and a big fish to the ruling APC which would boost the chances of APC in winning all elective positions in the area and the state at large.
“With the defection of Mamman to APC, it marks the end of PDP not only in Kokona Local Government Area of the state but in the Nasarawa West senatorial district at large.
“We have been waiting for him to join our party, now that God has touched him to join us, PDP is finished,” he said.
According to him, in the forthcoming election, all the 10 members of the state House of Assembly from Nasarawa West, House of Representatives members and Senate will come from the APC by God’s grace.
Abdullahi called on the people of the area to work with Mamman in order to ensure the victory of the party come 2019 and beyond.
He added that President Muhammadu Buhari and Gov. Tanko Al-Makura led administrations had brought the needed and positive change to the people of the state and Nigeria at large.
The speaker therefore urged Nigerians to continue to support Buhari and Al-Makura to enable them succeed in delivering more dividends of democracy.
Besides, Abdullahi urged the people of the state to be law abiding, respect constituted authorities; live in peace and tolerate one another irrespective of their ethnic, religious and political affiliation.
He restated the commitment of the assembly to continue to enact laws and resolutions that have direct bearing on the lives of the people.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Mamman officially defected from PDP to APC in his Dari electoral ward on July 21.
He said at the occasion that he had remained a long standing “general’’ of the PDP in the state.
According to him, he joined PDP in May 1998 and never considered defecting to any political party since then.
Mamman, however, said the time had come for him to dump the PDP, adding that the APC under Buhari is a better option for him.
“I choose to join the APC due to the developmental strides of President Muhammadu Buhari and Gov. Tanko Al-Makura, which have direct impact on the lives of the people,’’ he said.
The retired permanent secretary also said joining the APC would provide him the chance to contribute his quota to the development of his community, the state particular and the country at large.