TheCable

Sani Abubakar, the All Progressives Party (APC) governorship candidate in Taraba, has received more than 5,000 members of the United Democratic Party (UDP) and other political parties in the state who defected to the APC.

The defectors, including local government and ward officials, had earlier left the APC and followed Aisha Alhassan, former minister of women affairs, to the UDP.

Receiving the defectors on Saturday in Jalingo, Abubakar said with the publication of the list of the party’s candidates for various positions, all issues and grievances arising from the recent primaries have been laid to rest.

He appealed to all party members to close ranks and face the task of delivering the party in 2019.

The governorship candidate said the party had commenced the process of reconciliation by reaching out to some of the former governorship aspirants.

“With the publication of list of candidates, the issues surrounding our party primaries have now been resolved and we have already initiated the peace and reconciliation process,’’ he said.

He underscored the need for the party to take over governance to save the state from its present miserable situation of lack of development and disunity.

“It is good that you have realised your mistakes in time and have decided to return home in your numbers,” he said.

“Let me assure you that the task ahead of us is enormous; we should not be distracted by a UDP or anything else.

“I can assure you that most of the former aspirants are ready to work with us to rescue our dear state.”

Adamu Kata, former secretary of the UDP, who led the defectors, said they retraced their steps in the interest of the state and described UDP as a distraction from the task of rescuing the state.

He appealed to all party members who left for the UDP to return to APC because UDP has no future in the state.