About 252 aides of the governor of Sokoto state, Alh Aminu Waziri Tambuwal have deserted the governor and pledged their allegiance to the All Progressives Congress in the state.
The aides comprising of special advisers and special assistants, have resigned and they said their resignations were prompted by the recent decision of the Sokoto state governor to defect from the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party which they owe their loyalty, The Punch reports.
The former appointees said they will be unable to function in their respective positions under Tambuwal’s administration because of their determination to remain members of APC.
Spokesperson for the group, Dasuki Haske, told journalist on Sunday, August 19, that they were not ready to join Tambuwal in his new party.
“We deem it fit to state categorically that we are not ready to join Governor Tambuwal in his new party. That was what informed our decision. We will remain in APC and there is no going back,” Haske said.
“We are members of APC before taken up our appointments as SAs and it was based on our membership values that we are given such positions. Now, we have resigned because the governor has not performance well since inception to justify our supports for him. “We want to assure that we will work for the success of APC in the state comes 2019 general election. We will work for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari and our state party leader, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko.”
Another speaker, Alhaji Abdullahi Ahmad Sokoto, insisted that the APC remained the undisputed party to beat in any election. He said all the aides who resigned had resolved to work for the party.
A former special assistant, Hajia Rabi Tudunwada, accused Governor Tambuwal of compelling his aides to swear with Holy Qur’an in assurance that they will defect from APC before they could be paid their August monthly salary. She said some of them refused to be part of the oath which informed their decision to resign from their respective positions.
The APC chairman in the state, Isah Achida, thanked the affected aides for their loyalty to the party. He also promised them rewards for their steadfast and commitment to the party.
