A former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Ali Ciroma has died.Ciroma died at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri, Borno State capital, on Tuesday.A family member, who is also the Secretary of the Borno State Council, Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ali Ibrahim Ciroma, announced the death of the veteran unionist in a statement on Tuesday..“It is with deep sorrow that I announce the death of Comrade Ali Ciroma, former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress.“The sad event occurred this evening (Tuesday, April 2) at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital.“The burial for the repose of the deceased will be held tomorrow Wednesday 4pm at the residence of the deceased No.7A along Galadima Road near Muhammadu Shuwa Memorial Hospital (Nursing Home), Maiduguri”, the statement reads.Ciroma was NLC president from 1984-1988 during Ibrahim Babagida military regime.Recall that Ciroma and other veteran unionists asked the embattled National Chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure to resign amid the crisis rocking the opposition party.Our members who joined APC caused our downfall in 2023 – Abia PDPAbia State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said that it is not bothered by the defection of some of its members to the rival All Progressives Congress, APC.It said the defectors realized that they were no longer useful to the PDP.The party has also disclosed that most of those leaving the party were responsible for the “brief downturn” the umbrella party suffered in Abia during the 2023 polls.These assertions were made by the Abia PDP through a press release signed by Abraham Amah, the Vice Chairman/acting Publicity Secretary on Tuesday.He said the attention of the Abia PDP was drawn to the news of the defection of ‘a very few’ members of the PDP in Abia State to the APC.The PDP further declared that it has received many applications from people who are desirous of joining it in Abia, boasting that the defection was a blessing in disguise.“The Abia PDP truly appreciates the exit of these men because after the 2023 general elections, the Abia PDP did a post-mortem on itself and came to the inevitable conclusion that the Party needs to reinvent itself for the future and that the only way for that to happen would be for the party to shed weight not by expelling some people but for those responsible for its brief downturn to exit by themselves.“That is exactly what has happened and the Abia PDP truly appreciates their exit after they recognised that they were no longer useful to the party in whatsoever form,” it stated.Recall that former Chief of Staff to ex-governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Anthony Agbazuere, former Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Eze Chikanmayo and many other top members of the PDP, on Monday, joined the APC in a move that shook the Abia political space.