No fewer than 616 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Dukku local government area in Gombe defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday.

PDP ex-chieftain, Kwairanga Dukku, led the defectors, including women and youth leaders from different wards within the local government area, into the APC.

Mr Dukku attributed their decision to the leadership style of Governor Inuwa Yahaya.

Bappah Maru, a former member of the PDP Elders’ Forum, said the efforts of Mr Yahaya’s administration in providing potable water in the area convinced him to join the APC. 

Welcoming the new members, the governor said his government had entrenched good governance. Represented by the Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development, Muhammad Magaji, Mr Yahaya noted that the large number of people joining APC showed there was no hope for opposition parties in Gombe in 2023.

“With the calibre of defectors received in Dukku LGA, the APC in Gombe has been further fortified, and this means that our chances in 2023 are getting brighter,” the governor added.

APC vice-chairman in Dukku local council, Yahya Kole, lauded Mr Yahaya for delivering on his mandate to transform Gombe.

“This is why APC has become a party that everyone wants to join, and we will keep receiving new members,” said Mr Kole. 

(NAN)