The senator representing Kaduna South, Sunday Katung, has announced his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Katung said his decision followed extensive consultations with constituents, political stakeholders, family members, and associates.
He described the switch as one of the most challenging yet necessary decisions of his political career.
“The past few weeks have been incredibly demanding yet profoundly reflective moments of my public life,” he said in a statement on Saturday.
Katung explained that his defection was motivated by a genuine desire to serve his people more effectively and ensure their concerns are represented at the highest levels of governance.
“This realignment is driven by a genuine desire to serve our people more effectively and ensure that our voices are heard and respected at the highest decision-making tables where the destinies of our communities are being shaped,” he said.
He added that the move was also in response to appeals from his constituents, who urged him to collaborate with President Bola Tinubu and Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani to drive development across the region.
“I am fully convinced — and my dear brother, Hon. Daniel Amos, along with our colleagues in the Kaduna State House of Assembly who are making this journey with us, share in this conviction — that the APC’s developmental footprints across our senatorial district since the inception of its current administrations at state and federal levels clearly reflect a genuine commitment to inclusion, equity, and progress,” he added.
Katung urged his supporters and political allies to remain united despite political differences.
“As Thomas Jefferson said, ‘I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, or in philosophy as cause for withdrawing from a friend,’” he stated.
He encouraged his constituents to prioritise unity and constructive engagement in pursuit of the progress of Kaduna South senatorial district.
Katung’s defection follows that of Sunday Agadaga, senator representing Bayelsa East, who recently left the PDP for the APC.
His move increases the ruling party’s number in the Senate to 78, giving it a more than two-thirds supermajority.