Former governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe State, Alhaji Mohammed Dambarde, has defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2023 governorship election.

He cited bad governance and misplacement of priorities in the APC as his reason for leaving the party.

Dambarde was runner-up to Governor Mohammed Yahaya at the APC primaries in 2019.

Addressing journalists after a meeting at the PDP secretariat in Gombe yesterday, Dambarde said: “I picked my PDP card in February this year. Since then, I have been a loyal and dedicated member.”

He told newsmen that Gombe had always been a PDP state before the emergence of APC.

MEANWHILE, Governor Yahaya has declared that a robust collaboration with religious and community leaders as well as other stakeholders aided in addressing security challenges in the state.

He spoke to State House correspondents after meeting the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to the governor, the particular location of the state makes it vulnerable; but collaboration between security agencies and communities has been wonderful.

His words: “We are in the midst of the North East because we share a boundary with the other five states of the zone. As a result, even the effect of insurgency, Boko Haram and issues to do with farmers-herders clashes caused some security challenges in Gombe in the past.

“But we have been proactive and are following up day-by-day all institutions affected, for example, the traditional rulers, community leaders and the security agencies, trying to build a mutual understanding and good relationship between our people.

“I can say that compared to the rest, Gombe is relatively peaceful and we thank God for that; we are very appreciative of the cooperation and understanding of our people.”