A coalition of stakeholders from opposition parties in Gombe State has defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The group, which includes members from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Labour Party (LP), announced their decision to back President Bola Tinubu’s re-election and support Dr. Jamil Isyaku Gwamna’s gubernatorial ambition for the 2027 elections.
Speaking on behalf of the coalition, Prof. Sulaiman Dankande, Nura Abba, Abdullah Amtai, Dedan Mela, and Murtala Usman Dukku stated that their move followed a critical assessment of their former parties’ primary elections. They expressed confidence in the APC’s leadership and direction.
The defectors were formally welcomed into the APC by the party chairman in Gombe Local Government Area, Idris Saleh, who issued them membership cards.
In a separate development, the former National Youth Leader of the APC, Sadiq Abubakar, has emerged as the governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) in Gombe State. Abubakar secured the ticket after winning the party’s governorship primary. He had earlier resigned from the APC, citing economic difficulties and dissatisfaction with the ruling party’s policies. He noted that his switch to the NDC was driven by a desire to join a platform that guarantees transparent and credible primaries, adding that the move offers him an opportunity to pursue his political goals and serve the people of Gombe State.