Maryam Ali, wife of ex-PDP chairman, joins APC

Maryam Ali, wife of Ahmadu Ali, a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has joined the All Progressives Congress (APC).

She announced her defection at a brief ceremony which held at the APC headquarters in Abuja on Thursday.

Her husband was the director-general of the campaign organisation of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

The woman said she was convinced that people would consider her decision strange but that she did it in the interest of “service to the nation”.

“A lot of persons may wonder why I am joining the APC. The answer is simple. I want to continue to render service to my people and Nigeria at large. I believe I will be doing myself a lot of disservice if I don’t fulfil this burning desire in me,” she said.

“I know also a lot of people will wonder why I have chosen to opt for a political party different from my husband’s. Again, the answer is not farfetched. My family is a unique family, it is a family devoid of religious and ethnic differences. You are all aware that Dr. Ahmadu Ali is a Muslim and I am passionate Catholic. Also, Dr. Ahmadu Ali is from north-central and I am from the south-south.

“Therefore, religion and ethnicity do not play a role in our lives. It, therefore, suffices to say that my becoming an APC member and him being an active member of the PDP further displays the uniqueness of my family.

“We symbolise a people who want to serve a nation, a nation where oneness, love and peace reign supreme. Today marks the beginning of greater peace, love and oneness amongst all Nigerians. It is a new dawn, one nation, one destiny, one people. It is about an indivisible nation, Nigeria.”