Fresh trouble for Atiku as two key Northern allies dump PDP, back APC’s Tinubu

The presidential ambition of former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has suffered a major blow with the official defection of two of his top campaigners in the Northeast.

Reports has it that Alhaji Jamilu Gwamna who was the North East Coordinator of the Atiku Campaign organization, and a former deputy governor of Gombe State, Charles Iliya, have all defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The duo switched to the ruling party and pledge their loyalty to the presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Gwamna was also appointed as state coordinator for both the governorship and presidential campaign of the APC in Gombe State.

Speaking to newsmen Gwamna, who was also the runner-up in the PDP governorship primary in the state in May, said he saw no future for the party in the state essentially on account of the crisis trailing the governorship primary which was won by Jibrin Barde.

According to the former gubernatorial aspirant, the PDP was riddled with internal crisis, poor leadership, disregard for rule of law and disunity

He said his political ideology was 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.”

In politics, internal democracy is very key and if you cannot find that playing out, then practicing democracy on a larger platform such as governing the state becomes a big issue.”

He said the APC was better organized in Gombe than any political party, asking his supporters to mobilize voters at the grassroots to ensure victory for the APC at all levels.

Meanwhile, Iliya, PDP’s strongman in Gombe South, was unveiled during the formal take-off of the APC presidential campaign and that of the re-election of Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya.