Two local government chapter chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party in Gombe State have officially defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), altering the political landscape in Kwami and Nafada councils ahead of the upcoming electoral cycle.
Alhaji Idris Abubakar Yayayi, who formerly led the opposition party in Kwami Local Government Area, and Alhaji Yusuf Isa Jigawa, his counterpart from Nafada Local Government Area, completed their cross-carpeting following separate consultative sessions with Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya.
Details of the political shift were made public through an official release signed by Ismaila Uba Misilli, the Director-General of Press Affairs at the Gombe Government House. According to the administration's spokesperson, the high-level meetings that preceded the defection were coordinated by Senator Usman Bayero Nafada, who serves as the Coordinating Patron for the Gombe APC Campaign Council.
What led to the formal exit from the opposition?
Misilli noted that both politicians officially severed ties with their former platform by tendering their resignation documents directly to their respective ward chairmen, bringing an immediate conclusion to their tenure within the opposition party's leadership structure.
Alongside their departure, the newly minted APC members committed to transferring their extensive political networks, grassroots mobilisation frameworks, and loyal supporters into the ruling party to bolster its organizational capacity within their administrative zones.
During their closed-door engagements with the state chief executive, the former opposition chieftains lauded his administration's governance style and communicated their willingness to advance the objectives of the ruling party in preparation for the 2027 general elections.
How did the state leadership receive the defectors?
Extending a formal welcome to the political heavyweights, Governor Yahaya voiced strong assurance that their incorporation into the fold would significantly consolidate the party's institutional framework across Kwami and Nafada, while simultaneously broadening its popular foundation at the grassroots level.
The governor further remarked that their extensive political background and proven mobilization prowess would prove instrumental in reinforcing the party's overarching strategy throughout the state.
Political analysts in the region view the movement as an indicator of shifting allegiances and rising administrative endorsement in Gombe State as political momentum steadily builds toward the 2027 polls.