A former chairman of the Kaduna North Local Government Area, Mukhtar Lawal Baloni, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing a deepening ideological divide and the party's drift from its founding principles.
Joining Baloni are several of his loyalists, including former Kaduna North Vice Chairman (2012-2014) Dahiru Abdullahi Maidace, his former Chief of Staff Ghali Mohammed Waziri, former special advisers, supervisory councillors, and many former elected councillors and party executives across the LGA.
In a personally signed statement made available to the press, Baloni said his decision was informed by a widening gap between his political convictions and the APC's current direction.
Baloni recalled the party's early days as one of mass appeal and hope.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
"The party, as we used to know it, represented a platform that aspired to meet the yearnings of everyday Nigerians in a noble and qualitative manner," he noted.
He expressed disappointment over what he described as the APC's departure from its founding ideals and its declining political relevance.
Baloni ended his resignation with a call for a more inclusive and principled political platform committed to equity, justice, and service.
His exit adds to the growing wave of defections by party loyalists in Kaduna State, following the defection of former Governor Nasir El-Rufai to the Social Democratic Party (SDP). El-Rufai has since been at the forefront of efforts to unite opposition party leaders and is now expected to join the African Democratic Congress (ADC), the platform recently adopted by the coalition.
Reacting, Salisu Tanko Wusono, Publicity Secretary of the APC in Kaduna, said those leaving are not doing so because Governor Uba Sani or the APC has failed, but likely due to personal reasons.
"Our focus in the APC is to strengthen the relationship between the party and the people of Kaduna State. We were not elected without making promises to them, and we are committed to fulfilling those promises," he said. "There is no fault in someone feeling that their personal opinion no longer aligns with that of the people of Kaduna. If he wants to leave, there's nothing you can do about it."
