APC Suffers Another Mass Defection, Ex-Buhari's Minister Celebrates

• Twenty-seven prominent stakeholders from Yamaltu Deba LGA, including retired military officers and veteran politicians, defected to the PDP
• The defectors were received by former Gombe Governor Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo and PDP governorship candidate Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami
• The defectors pledged to use their grassroots networks to mobilise voters for PDP candidates in Yamaltu Deba ahead of the 2027 elections

At least 27 prominent figures from Yamaltu Deba Local Government Area in Gombe state have dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and crossed to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), dealing a fresh political blow to the state government.

The defectors, comprising retired military officers, retired civil servants and veteran politicians, were formally received into the PDP at a gathering in Gombe Town. Senior party figures at the event included former Gombe State Governor and Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, known as Talban Gombe; PDP governorship candidate Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami; and PDP Gombe State Chairman, Major General Amnon Kalaye Kwaskebe (Rtd).

Notable names among the defectors

Among the 27 prominent figures who joined the opposition party were Col. Magaji Deba (Rtd), Lt. Col. Ado Baba (Rtd), Alhaji Adamu Aliyu (Dalcogna), Alhaji Sale Abubakar (F.G.L), Alhaji Danladi Buba Fata (E.S), Alhaji Waziri Mudi Shinga (Wazirin Shinga), Alhaji Abdulrashid Aliyu (Durbin Kwadan), Alhaji Isah Aliyu Galadima, Alhaji Yaya Babayo (Barden Deba), and Alhaji Hamisu Sani Gwani, among others.

They were accompanied by thousands of their supporters, further widening the scale of the defection.

Pantami receives pledges of support

Speaking at the event, the defectors declared their backing for Professor Isa Pantami, a former minister under the administration of late Muhammadu Buhari, and committed to working for the victory of all PDP candidates in the forthcoming general elections. They also pledged to bring their political experience, grassroots influence and wide community networks to bear in mobilising voters across the wards and communities of Yamaltu Deba.

Senator Dankwambo and Professor Pantami, welcoming the new members, assured them of equal opportunities, inclusion and recognition within the party.

The PDP described the development as a significant boost to its standing in Yamaltu Deba and a major setback for the APC, saying it reflected growing public confidence in Pantami's leadership and vision ahead of 2027.

See the statement shared by Pantami on X here: