Former Ambassador to South Africa Musa Ibeto on Saturday led three other governorship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress.
Among the defectors are Alhaji Mohammed Baka, Alhaji Hannafi Sudan and Alhaji Dogo Koli, all aspirants in the PDP governorship primaries.
Ibeto had resigned his appointment as the Ambassador to South Africa and defected to the PDP to contest for the governorship candidature but lost to Honorable Umar Nasko.
Ibeto and the other defectors were received by the APC Deputy National Chairman, Niyi Adebayo, during the APC governorship flag off campaign at the trade fair complex in Minna.
Addressing the crowd, Ibeto who was also a former Deputy Governor of Niger state, said: “We have returned home.”
He promised to work for the success of the party in the forthcoming elections.
“We will work to ensure the overwhelming success of APC in February and March elections.
“Just as we did in the past, we will repeat the success. Niger state will be captured by APC,” he stressed.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo expressed optimism that APC would win big at the forthcoming poll.
He said work had been completed on the Baro Port project, which would soon be commissioned as part of effort to boost the economy of the state.
“I want to tell you that President Muhammadu Buhari is very committed to the well-being of Nigerians. The Lagos to Kano railway project is one of such commitments of this administration to ease movement of our people.
“The completion of Baro Port shows that this administration mean well,” he said.
Osinbajo described Bello as ”a young and hardworking man who deserves another four years to continue with the infrastructure development of the state.”
He appealed to the people of the state to support the re-election bid of the governor as well as other candidates of APC.
Niger state Governor Abubakar Bello promised to continue works he started in the state.
