Gombe Gov’s Aide, Party Secretary, Others Dump APC Ahead Of 2023 Elections

Some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Gombe State have withdrawn their membership from the ruling party a month before the 2023 general elections.

Reports reaching Naija News on Wednesday morning revealed that a Special Assistant to the state governor, Hon Jesse Dereba Maipundi, was among the party chieftains who defected to the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP).

Also on the list of defectors is the Serving Secretary of the APC in Shongom LGA, Nelson Bagudu and a legislative aide to the Senator representing Gombe South zone, Engr Mela Lasoru Ibn Lele and Hon Alhassan Musa Aliyu.

The politicians revealed their agenda was to support the NNPP Governorship candidate in the state, Khamisu Mailantarki, in his quest to wrestle power from the ruling APC.

Naija News understands that the state chapter of the APC was recording another loss a few days after the defection of the former Commissioner of Youths and Sports Development, Hon Julius Ishaya Lepes and member representing Kaltungo West constituency, who also joined the NNPP.

Bagudu, who spoke on behalf of other defectors, alleged there was leadership failure in the APC. He explained further that they left the party because of the inability of its government to ward off insecurity and economic challenges affecting residents of the state.

According to him, the APC-led government in the state lacks administrative principles and policies that would usher in democratic dividends to rural dwellers to alleviate their plights and bring purposeful governance in the State.

He, therefore, called on all right-thinking people in the state who are in APC and PDP to return to the NNPP as APC and PDP have failed the people.

In his remark, while receiving the defectors, the NNPP governorship candidate, Hon Khamisu Ahmad Mailantarki, said that if elected as the state’s next governor in 2023, he would restore security and revamp small and medium enterprises in the state within his first 100 days in office.