"We are not ready to join Governor Tambuwal in his new party. That was what informed our decision. We will remain in APC and there is no going back," the spokesman for the aides stated.
Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State, has lost 252 of his aides, who announced their resignations from their positions on Sunday.
According to the spokesman for the aides, who comprised special assistants and special advisers, the decision was as a result of the recent defection of Tambuwal from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Speaking with newsmen in Sokoto on Sunday, Honourable Dasuki Haske, their spokesperson, restated their loyalty to the APC, stating that "we are not ready to join Governor Tambuwal in his new party. That was what informed our decision. We will remain in APC and there is no going back".
According to the aides, since they were members of the APC before taking up their appointments, the resignation was necessary "because the Governor has not performed well since inception to justify our support for him".
Haske said: “We want to assure [sic] that we will work for the success of APC in the state come 2019 general election. We will work for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari and our state party leader, Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko."
In her address, Hajia Rabi Tudunwada, claimed that the aides were made to swear with the Qur’an to make a promise to defect from the APC, before they would be paid their August salaries.
She said it was their refusal to swear to the oath that informed the resignation, and reaffirmed their decision to work for the APC in the forthcoming elections.
In his response, Honourable Isah Achida, the state APC chairman, thanked the affected special advisers and assistants for their loyalty, and promised that they would be rewarded for their commitment.