Over 27,300 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Katsina State on Tuesday defected to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the Sandamu Local Government Area of the state.

The PDP governorship candidate, Senator Yakubu Lado, who stormed the area as part of his campaign tour of the state, decried the debilitating state of insecurity vowing to reverse the trend if elected during the forthcoming polls.

Lado told the rally that “under the current APC regime, people are being killed every day, our women are being raped, people are being kidnapped on daily basis for ransom and until you sell your piece of land, you will not get the ransom money to pay.

“When the PDP takes over power, our priorities will focus on restoring the security of lives and property where people will live without any fears of attacks and sleep with their two eyes closed.

“Only the PDP has the people’s interest at heart because we did it for 16 years and you all saw it and no one will say they did not enjoy the time we ruled the country and Katsina State.

“The APC reversed all our efforts in the past by introducing mass poverty, you can no longer afford your children’s school fees due to inflation and they have made you jobless, there is hardship everywhere.

“I am assuring you, if God gives us victory at the polls, we will first and within the shortest possible time, create job opportunities for our teeming youth and women through skills and empowerment programmes.

“The lost glory of education will be our topmost priority if elected and we will introduce an irrigation system of farming to make sure our farmers enjoy the benefits of farming and to boost agriculture for food sufficiency.

“Areas that are in need of water, we will make sure we fulfil that too and as soon as we take the mantle of leadership come next month, God willing.

“Vote Atiku Abubakar for president. You all know that he promised to open our closed borders once he is sworn in. He is a man of his word,” Lado said.