Ex-Minister Dumps All Progressives Congress, Returns To Peoples Democratic Party

In what could be described as a swim against the tide, the former Minister of Labour and Productivity, Senator Joel Danlami Ikenya, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Taraba State.

Ikenya dumped APC ahead of Governor Agbu Kefas’s formal reception into the APC after leaving the PDP.
The former minister’s defection from APC was contained in a letter titled, ‘Defection Notification by Sen. Joel Danlami Ikenya’, and made available to journalists in Jalingo.

In the letter, the former minister said his decision was the product of “careful consideration, due diligence, and wide consultations.”

He further said in the letter: “I am pleased to announce that I have formally defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the interest of my people, Tarabans.”

He emphasized that the PDP has been instrumental to his political rise and would not want to neglect the party at the time it needed him most.

“You are all aware that the PDP remains the party that has given me the platform to attain all the positions I have ever held in politics, and this is where I believe I am loved,” he added.

He also expressed gratitude to his supporters for showing him “love and solidarity” throughout his decades-long political career.

Ikenya, who has a long political history with the PDP, is regarded as a grassroots politician with significant influence, particularly in Wukari and southern part of Taraba State.

He served in the Taraba State House of Assembly (1999–2003), House of Representatives (2003–2007), and was elected to the Senate (2007–2015), representing Taraba South, all under the PDP platform.

He served under the government of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, as the Minister of Labour and Productivity, a position he held from March to May 2015.

In the letter, Senator Ikenya assured his loyal supporters that his return to the PDP was guided solely by his commitment to serving his constituents effectively.