A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and five times gubernatorial aspirant in Adamawa State, Dr. Umar Ardo, has defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Ardo, who defected alongside his supporters, registered with the SDP at his village, Kojoli in Yelli Ward of Jada LGA on Monday.
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The historian and former academic had sued the PDP 11 times on allegations bordering on violation of party constitution and lack of internal democracy.
Addressing loyalists shortly after the registration, Ardo said he lost faith in the PDP after battling for decades to help the party entrench rule of law and operate in accordance with democratic norms.
“For over a decade, I have been battling with the party in and out of courts of law in an effort to get things right but the party refused to comply with rule of law and its constitution.
“I am tired of the undemocratic tendencies of the PDP. As a former chieftain and founding member of the PDP, I kept faith with the party and never left it even for once despite the surfeit disagreements, I have therefore withdrawn my membership of the PDP,” he said.
The Yelli ward SDP chairman, Saidu Hamidu, said Ardo and his supporters were automatically entitled to all rights and privileges SDP members enjoyed, adding that their timely decamping boosted the party’s chances in the 2023 elections.
