APC to receive 10,000 new members

—MJB Movement plans mass defection from ADC, PDP, NDC

ABUJA — The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it is ready to receive and integrate more than 10,000 members of various political parties, including the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), into its structures.

The planned defection is being coordinated by the Maji Johnson Bello (MJB) Movement and is expected to culminate in a formal ceremony following ongoing consultations with the APC leadership.

Executive members of the Movement visited the APC National Secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday as part of preparations for the formal defection.

Receiving the delegation on behalf of the APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, his Personal Private Secretary, Comrade Jibrin Bancir, described the development as a significant boost to the party’s grassroots mobilisation.

Bancir said the APC was encouraged by the organisational capacity, grassroots reach and political network being brought into the party by the MJB Movement.

He assured the incoming members that the party would provide mechanisms for their seamless integration into its structures, beginning from the ward level.

“We are delighted by the huge capacity that the MJB Movement is bringing to the table. The APC is ready to receive and integrate all of you into the structures of the party.

“We will work out the necessary procedures to ensure that everybody has a place to operate and contribute meaningfully at the local level,” he said.

Bancir stressed the importance of grassroots participation in politics, saying the new members would be properly registered and integrated into the party at the ward, local government, state and national levels.

“Politics is local. We will ensure that everybody knows you in your local government as bona fide members of the APC,” he added.

He urged the leadership of the MJB Movement to sustain its mobilisation efforts, assuring them of institutional support from the APC leadership during the transition.

Earlier, Chairman of the MJB Movement, Maji Johnson Bello, said the decision to join the APC was based on the group’s belief that the economic reforms being implemented by President Bola Tinubu offered a realistic pathway to addressing the country’s economic challenges.

Bello said members of the Movement had examined the situation in the country and concluded that the administration’s reform agenda deserved the support of Nigerians seeking a stronger and more productive economy.

He said the Movement was not joining the APC merely for political convenience, but had taken a deliberate decision to support what it described as the administration’s efforts to reposition the economy and lay the foundation for sustainable development.

According to him, the MJB Movement would deploy its grassroots network to mobilise more Nigerians into the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“We have taken time to examine the situation in the country and the reforms being undertaken by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. We are convinced that the direction of the administration offers Nigeria the best opportunity to overcome its present economic realities and build a stronger future,” Bello said.

He said the forthcoming defection would mark the beginning of a broader mobilisation campaign, adding that the Movement would continue to engage Nigerians at the grassroots and encourage them to support President Tinubu and the APC.

Bello also expressed confidence in the Movement’s capacity to bring thousands of politically active Nigerians into the ruling party and strengthen its structures across the country.