The former Chief of Staff to ex-Governor Aminu Masari of Katsina State, Almustapha Saulawa, has officially defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to the opposition African Democratic Congress, ADC, citing principle and the need to “rescue” Katsina State.
Saulawa announced his defection on Tuesday at the ADC Secretariat in Katsina, where he formally registered as a party member alongside a large group of supporters, many of them youths.
“I’m here to declare myself a tentative member of ADC, as it is enshrined in the law that I cannot act until I belong. That is why I’m here today, together with my supporters, who are mainly the youth of Katsina,” he said.
A founding figure of the APC in the state, Saulawa said years of loyalty to the party had brought him to a breaking point.
He described the ADC as a major threat to the APC and criticised his former party.
“I was part and parcel of the ruling APC, who worked tirelessly from scratch, but today I decided to join ADC.
I was tired of being a sycophant to my former party,” he said. “I’m sure ADC will win come 2027, and APC knows it. The youth are with ADC, and APC has only two categories of people left: those intimidated by empty threats and those in government afraid of losing stipends or contracts if they leave.”
On his political plans, Saulawa said he has not decided whether he will contest any election in 2027, stressing that his immediate focus is party building.
“My main aim of joining is to establish the party and chart a way forward to rescue Katsina State,” he said, adding that his defection would not affect his personal relationship with the current governor, Dikko Umar Radda.
Recounting his political journey, Saulawa emphasised his role in building the APC at state and federal levels, which culminated in his appointment as Chief of Staff under Masari.
Saulawa’s move adds to a growing list of high-profile defectors in Katsina, including former Secretary to the State Government Mustapha Inuwa, Senator Ibrahim Tsauri, and Senator Baban Kaita, signalling a potential coalition capable of challenging the APC’s long-standing dominance in the state ahead of the 2027 elections.