Nigeria’s former inspector general of police, Suleiman Abba, has defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party in Jigawa state, declaring his intention to contest for a Senate seat in the 2027 elections.
Abba announced his defection on Saturday at a rally in Bamaina, the hometown of former Jigawa governor Sule Lamido, where he was formally received by PDP leaders and supporters.
The former police chief said he had joined the PDP because he believed it offered the best platform to represent the people of Jigawa South-West senatorial district in the national assembly.
“I have left the APC for the PDP because I believe this is the platform to deliver real representation for Jigawa South-West,” Abba told supporters.
He said the large turnout at the rally reflected a growing appetite for political change and pledged to focus his campaign on security, agriculture and youth employment.
“I will take the voice of our farmers, our youths and our women to the Senate if elected,” he said.
Lamido, a prominent PDP figure and former governor of Jigawa state, described Abba’s defection as a significant gain for the opposition party ahead of the next general election.
“This is a big catch for the PDP. A man of Abba’s record brings credibility and reach to our party,” he said.
Lamido expressed confidence that more politicians would join the party in the coming months, pointing to the presence at the rally of PDP governorship candidates from Kano, Yobe, Bauchi, Gombe and Jigawa states as evidence of growing unity in northern Nigeria.
“Suleiman Abba served this country with honour as IGP. Now he wants to serve Jigawa South-West in the Senate. We will stand with him,” he said.
The chairman of the PDP in Jigawa state, Babandi Gumel, said the party was ready to absorb Abba and his supporters into its structures across the state.
“Today, the PDP is getting stronger in Jigawa South-West with the coming of IGP Abba and his thousands of supporters,” he said.
“Our ward, LGA and zonal executives are on the ground to integrate everyone into the PDP family.”
Mustapha Lamido, the PDP’s governorship candidate in Jigawa, said the former police chief’s arrival would strengthen the party’s prospects in the state as political parties begin positioning themselves for the 2027 elections.
Abba, who served as inspector general of police between 2014 and 2015, becomes one of the most high-profile figures to switch allegiance in Jigawa in recent months, underscoring the early manoeuvring already under way ahead of the next electoral cycle.
