Atiku's Presidential Bid Faces Huge Threat as Ex-PDP Governor's Ally, 4 Other Party Chieftains Defect to APC

• The PDP in Gombe state has lost five influential party chieftains to the APC as Nigeria moves closer to the 2023 elections
• Alhaji Ahmed Abubakar Walama, an ally of former Gombe governor, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, is one of those who joined the APC
• Another prominent on the list of the new defectors is Sa’idu Kawuwa Malala, who, like Walama, also served as a commissioner under Dankwambo's government

Gombe state - Ahead of the 2023 elections, a political ally of former Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo of Gombe state, Alhaji Ahmed Abubakar Walama, has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Walama served as the commissioner of local governments and chieftaincy affairs from 2011 to 2019 under the PDP when Dankwambo was governor of the state.

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Daily Trust reported that another commissioner during Dankwambo’s second term in office, Sa’idu Kawuwa Malala, also announced his defection to the ruling APC.

Other PDP chieftains who defected to APC

Legit.ng gathers that a former special adviser, Maigari Usman Malala, and a former Gombe North Zonal Secretary of the PDP, Mohammed Ya’u, and the Deputy State Treasurer, Baba Bawa, have all dumped the PDP for APC.

Dankwambo, who is the leader of PDP in the state, is contesting to represent Gombe North Senatorial District on the platform of PDP in 2023.

In the internal crisis currently rocking the PDP, Dankwambo is in the camp of Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike.

The development may pose a huge threat to the performance of the PDP candidates in Gombe state, including the presidential flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar.

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Nigerians react

Fred Goshue commented on Facebook:

"He (Dankwambo) is busy going around with wike fighting Atiku Nah he has not seen anything yet."

Mazi Godwin Anosike said:

"Because he is not loyal, they defected from him not from the party."

Edwin Bodiseowei Jenkins said:

"Wike's allies are moving gradually."

Chidi Collins said:

"To do what in APC, look at the country, economy don collapse kpatakpata."

Joshua Amos said:

"When you continue to follow Wike, that is what you will find in your state."

Ex-commissioner, other popular APC chieftains defect to PDP in Ondo state

In another report, Yetunde Adeyanju, the immediate past commissioner for water resources in Ondo state, Yetunde Adeyanju, has dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

Adeyanju had resigned from the cabinet of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu a few weeks ago.

She defected to the opposition party, with the former chairman of the local government, Taye Oguniyi, and many other APC chieftains and their supporters across the state.

Source: Legit.ng