Huge Blow to PDP as 2 LG Chairmen Defect to APC Ahead of 2027 Elections

• Two PDP local government chairmen in Gombe State formally resigned from the opposition party and joined the ruling APC
• The defectors from Kwami and Nafada LGAs met separately with Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya before switching parties
• Senator Usman Bayero Nafada facilitated the meetings that led to the defections, according to a Government House statement

Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over eight years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues

Gombe State - Two chairmen of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Gombe State have crossed over to the All Progressives Congress (APC), dealing a fresh blow to the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The defectors are Alhaji Idris Abubakar Yayayi, who chaired the PDP in Kwami Local Government Area, and Alhaji Yusuf Isa Jigawa, who held the same position in Nafada Local Government Area.

Both men formalised their exits from the PDP after holding separate meetings with Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya at Government House, Gombe.

As reported by Daily Trust, Ismaila Uba Misilli, Director-General of Press Affairs at Government House, confirmed the development in an official statement.

How the defections happened

Senator Usman Bayero Nafada, who serves as Coordinating Patron of the Gombe APC Campaign Council, was credited with facilitating both engagements with the governor.

Misilli said the two men had already submitted resignation letters to their respective ward chairmen before the meetings, bringing their membership of the PDP to a formal close.

Beyond joining the APC themselves, both men pledged to bring their political structures, grassroots networks and supporters into the ruling party to reinforce its standing in Kwami and Nafada.

During their separate sessions with the governor, the former PDP chieftains praised his leadership and said they were ready to contribute to the APC's growth and its performance at the polls in 2027.

Governor Yahaya welcomes new members

Governor Yahaya received the defectors warmly, expressing confidence that their arrival would deepen the APC's roots in both local government areas and widen its grassroots support base.

He also said he expected their political experience and mobilisation capacity to add value to the party's work as it looks to consolidate its position across Gombe State.

Misilli described the defections as a sign of growing public confidence in Governor Yahaya's administration, noting that the development came as political activity in the state begins to pick up pace ahead of the 2027 polls.

APC expands as over 200 ex-lawmakers defect

Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that more than 200 former councillors and their supporters left the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) for the APC in Oyo State.

The defectors were received by APC leaders, including state chairman Otunba Moses Alake Adeyemo and Senator Teslim Folarin, in Ibadan.

Their leader cited years of alleged maltreatment and deprivation under Governor Seyi Makinde's administration as the reason for the move