Ganduje receives Kemi Elebute, over 120,000 other decampees to APC
JOEL OLADELE, Abuja
In a new political alliance, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, had received Engr. Erelu Kemi Elebute-Halle and over 120,000 other decampees to the fold of the ruling party.
Elebute-Halle, a former gubernatorial candidate in Ekiti State, officially joined the APC together with her supporters from various political affiliations which traversed the political divide across the country.
Addressing newsmen after the official ceremony, Elebute-Halle, who previously represented the Action Democratic Party (ADP) and was the first female Director-General of a presidential campaign in Nigeria, emphasized her eagerness to contribute to the reformation efforts within the APC.
Highlighting her commitment and experience in the political arena, she said;
“I was the only gubernatorial candidate in the last election in Ekiti State where I contested keenly with about fifteen men and I came fourth with over four thousand votes.”
According to her, the defection was part of a larger unification effort led by the APC in Ekiti State under the leadership of Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji.
“As part of the progressive move, the governor of my state H.E Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji has been able in his wisdom to bring together all the parties and reunite us together in the state . As part of this development, I was able to make a final decision on October 7th where we had it almost like a carnival in the state, more than 70,000 men and women from across the country crossed over to the All Progressives Congress,” she said.
The organizer of the Decampees Movement added that leaders from various political parties, including DPP, PDP, and others, were engaged before making the decision to decamp.
“I had meetings with all of them before I openly defected. So, some of them that decamped with me were leaders in various political parties as national chairman, those who contested as senators, governors, house of representative members among others,” she stated.
When asked about the timing of her defection amid widespread discontent over the government’s economic policies, Elebute-Halle remained steadfast in her belief in President Tinubu’s vision.
“We want to join the APC because we want to be a progressive partner of Mr. President. We believe in the Renewed Hope Agenda and that the policies of the government will work eventually,” she asserted.
With ambitions set high, Elebute-Halle revealed that beyond the immediate transition, there are efforts underway to recruit over seventy thousand additional members in Northern Nigeria alone, with over fifty thousand anticipated from the Southern regions.
The reception at the APC was earlier led by the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, who welcomed Elebute-Halle and her cohort into the party, assuring them of their full integration.
“We will not discriminate against you, equal opportunity will be provided for you to pursue your political ambitions within the party,” Ganduje assured the defectors.
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