The defection of Senator Muhammed Ogoshi Onawo, the only People’s Democratic Party (PDP) senator from Nasarawa State, to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has triggered political tension within the state’s PDP leadership.
The move was formalized over the weekend at Kini Hotels in Akwanga during an ADC stakeholders meeting, which also saw the emergence of former deputy governor, Dr. John Mike Abdul, as the interim ADC chairman for Nasarawa State.
Reacting to the defection, PDP State Chairman, Hon. Adamu Bako, dismissed the development as inconsequential. In a statement issued by the party’s Public Relations Officer, Hamza Ibrahim, the PDP described the defectors as “noise makers” with no electoral value.
“At the age of 70s to 80s, most of them have long exhausted their political relevance,” the statement read. “We challenge the media to conduct a popularity check on these individuals at their polling units, wards, and local government areas.”
The PDP accused several defectors of failing to deliver votes in the 2023 general elections. “A former minister got just seven votes for Atiku Abubakar in his polling unit despite being a senior campaign official,” the statement claimed. “A former senator couldn’t deliver his unit or ward, and a serving minister at the time lost woefully in Karu LGA.”
Onawo, who now represents Nasarawa South in the Senate under the ADC, had unseated former Governor and APC Senator, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, in the 2023 general election.
Several prominent PDP figures have followed Onawo to the ADC, including former Minister of Information Senator Patricia Akwashiki; former Minister of State for Justice, Barr Musa Elayo; and Barr Hassan Mohammed Abdullahi, former Minister of Environment.
Other notable attendees at the ADC meeting include three-term Senator Suleiman Adokwe; former House of Representatives member Abdulkarim Ombamas; retired General Nuhu Angbazo, a 2023 PDP governorship aspirant; and ESV Umar Musa Galadima, another former PDP governorship hopeful.
Also present were 2023 PDP Nasarawa North senatorial candidate Hon. Nathaniel Aboki, PDP ex-officio aspirant Miss Farida Umar, and outgoing ADC chairman William Alaku, who stepped aside to allow Dr. Abdul’s emergence.
