Blow to Atiku, PDP as Senator Kumo joins APC

Opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar have lost another staunch member.

Latest on the list of defectors is Atiku’s North-East Campaign Director General, Senator Saidu Umar Kumo.

Kumo was at the campaign headquarters of All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday to pledge his support.

A tweet by the spokesman of President Muhammadu Buhari’s Campaign Council, Mr Festus Keyamo said:

“The game is on! After recent mass defections of PDP leaders of North-East to join PMB’s train, today the latest convert, Atiku’s North-East Campaign DG, Senator Saidu Umar Kumo (standing to my left) was at our Campaign h/q to pledge his support! Then, the trending 4+4 followed!’’

The game is on! After recent mass defections of PDP leaders of North-East to join PMB’s train, today the latest convert, Atiku’s North-East Campaign DG, Senator Saidu Umar Kumo (standing to my left) was at our Campaign h/q to pledge his support! Then, the trending 4+4 followed! pic.twitter.com/LQrn8k4Zsw

— Festus Keyamo, SAN (@fkeyamo) January 11, 2019

Last week, the suspended Deputy National Chairman of PDP, Sen. Babayo Gamawa and a member of the party’s Board of Trustees, Kaulaha Aliyu, defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The two defecting top members of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) were received at the presidential villa by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the defection of the PDP bigwigs from Bauchi State came barely 24 hours after the president received various members of the Peoples Democratic Party’s Support Groups from the North East, who defected to the ruling APC.

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NAN reports that the defectors who were accompanied by Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi state, met behind closed doors with President Buhari for about 35 minutes.

President Buhari had on Monday also received delegation of the North East political stakeholders including the defectors led by Umar Bukar Bolori, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The defectors included the former governor of old Borno state, Alhaji Mohammed Goni and a onetime deputy governor of Adamawa, Alhaji Saad Tahir.