NNPP Senator defects to PDP days after losing election

Less than one week after losing his bid to retain his seat, the senator representing Bauchi South, Lawal Yahaya Gumau, has dumped the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP) for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The senator scored 3,739 votes to emerge third in Saturday’s election. He was defeated by the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Shehu Buba Umar, who polled 170,505 votes.

Gumau, who was a member of the House of Representatives, contested and won the senate seat under the APC in 2019.

However, after failing to get the APC reelection ticket, he crossed over to NNPP, where he contested and lost the election.

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Gumau announced his defection to the PDP alongside his campaign coordinators and other supporters during a meeting with Governor Bala Mohammed.

Gumau declared his support for the governor’s reelection and directed his supporters across the senatorial district to massively vote for the governor and all the PDP House of Assembly candidates in the forthcoming governorship election slated for March 11.

The lawmaker said the governor had performed beyond, hence the need for all and sundry to support him to succeed.

Gumau said “The most important thing is not about the party, it is the personality that attracted us to the party. I returned to PDP because of Kauran Bauchi who is my leader, mentor and a person who I always follow for me to succeed in politics.

“I joined the governor now because I want my people to feel the impact of democracy and after thorough investigation, I realised that Kauran Bauchi is the best and his performance is the main reason for us to come to him.

“My supporters should thank God that we have a reliable leader who we can trust. Governor Bala Mohammed is a kind of leader that, even without asking him, he will remember that he has a duty to do things.

“He is working not necessarily on what people ask him to do, he does what he believes is good for his people and therefore we must vote for His Excellency to enable him continue doing his good work for our dear Bauchi State,” Gumau said.

Responding, Governor Mohammed welcomed Gumau and all his supporters and campaign coordinators to the ruling PDP in the state and promised to provide them with a level playing field to contribute positively towards the victory of all the candidates of his new party in the 11 March governorship and state assembly elections.