On Tuesday, Adamu Aliero, senator representing Kebbi central; Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi north); and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi south) formally announced their defection to the APC.

“These are key people who were already members of APC for the first five, six years,” Yari said.

“But unfortunately, as you know, politics is full of tussle, turbulence and so forth. They were not able to secure a ticket in our party in 2023, but deep in them, they believe in APC, which they are members of.

“So they contested on the platform of the PDP, and now they have decided to come back home.

“This is a great and tremendous kind of success for our party in Kebbi state, our party in the north-west and our party in northern Nigeria.”

Yari said the presence of the governor of Kebbi at the national assembly was a show of solidarity.

“And as well, to also appreciate the effort of the national chairman, and the effort of everyone who worked to ensure this outcome,” he said.

Asked whether the influx of opposition members into the APC signalled a drift towards a one-party state, Yari dismissed the concerns.

“Well, that’s what people are saying, but I don’t think so because Nigeria is a larger democracy and we have about 56 parties,” he said.

“So there’s no way you’ll say everybody will come to APC. There are 56 political parties registered, so definitely people have to contest. There’ll be a kind of competition.

“Maybe the other parties may be weaker, and APC will continue to be what it is. But at least we are not aiming to be that. We welcome everyone.

“What we are after is to ensure that there is good governance and success in our 2027 elections. We are praying and working harder to ensure we get the success.”

On May 9, Aliero, Abdullahi, Maidoki and all members of the house of representatives from Kebbi state met with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, where they informed him of their decision to join the ruling party.