A chieftain of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State, Alhaji Jamil Ishiyaku Gwamna on Saturday officially decamped from the party and joined the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state thereby boosting the reelection bid of Governor Inuwa Yahaya.
Though he was publicly presented during the APC mega rally held at the Pantami Stadium, Ibrahim Sani, his Media Assistant, disclosed his defection to newsmen in a statement he issued in Gombe.
Gwamna had officially defected to the APC along with his many supporters on Friday before the rally.
The former PDP chieftain cited internal crisis, poor leadership, disregard for rule of law within the party, and disunity as reasons for his decision to dump the major opposition party.
He stated that, “the leadership of the PDP in the state has poorly managed affairs of the party which led to different factions within the party.”
According to him, “My political ideology is anchored on unity, inclusiveness, fairness, and justice and if those are not found in the party then there is no reason to be in that camp.”
Isiyaku Gwamna, who is also the Sardauna of Gombe, claimed that the PDP could not manage Gombe State with the “crop of leaders that prioritise personal interest against collective interest.”
“In politics, internal democracy is very key and if you cannot find that playing out, then practising democracy on a larger platform such as governing the state becomes a big issue,” he added.
Recall that Gwamna finished second in the PDP governorship primary held in the state on May 25 and has since then expressed displeasure over the outcome though he did not challenge it at court.
He had been seen around Governor Yahaya as well as other top leaders of the APC including the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan as well as the APC presidential running mate, Kashim Shettima.
