Get Guardian on GoogleThe political fortunes of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe State received a significant boost on Sunday following the defection of three Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Local Government Area chairmen and a key campaign coordinator for the PDP governorship candidate, Professor Isa Ali Pantami, to the ruling party.
Those who defected are: Hon. Adamu Alhaji Abdu — PDP Chairman, Yamaltu-Deba LGA; Hon. Idris Abubakar Yayari — PDP Chairman, Kwami LGA; Hon. Yusuf Isa Jigawa — PDP Chairman, Nafada LGA.
Others are: Hon. Babangida Usman (Ventures) — Chairman, Pantami Contact Committee (PCC) and PDP Chairman, Gombe Central Senatorial Zone.
The chairmen formally announced their resignations from the PDP in separate letters addressed to the chairmen of their respective wards before joining the APC.
According to the camp of the APC governorship candidate, Dr Jamilu Isiyaku Gwamna, the defections of the key PDP figures is a big blow for Pantami.
They said the defectors controlled the PDP’s grassroots structure — ward mobilisation, polling unit coordination and local campaign logistics in Yamaltu-Deba, Kwami, and Nafada.
Usman as the Chairman of the Pantami Contact Committee, he was a central figure in the political coordination and mobilisation surrounding Pantami’s candidacy.
“Beyond their individual weight, the departures could weaken the PDP’s local government coordination and mobilisation capacity, while giving the APC an opportunity to deepen its reach across the state.
“The development further reinforces the APC’s positioning under Governor Inuwa Yahaya, whose administration and political leadership continue to anchor the party’s campaign ahead of the 2027 general elections“, they said.
The defections was coming at a time Pantami, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, a former governor, were preparing to visit the state following Pantami’s reinstatement on the INEC’s list of candidates.
Our correspondent reports that the visit is expected to feature the inauguration of the PDP campaign council.
