Khamisu Mailantarki, a candidate for governor from the New Nigeria Peoples Party in Gombe State, has met with representatives and members of Sardauna Dawo-Dawo, a political ally of the Peoples Democratic Party.
On Friday in Gombe, he welcomed the PDP defectors who had switched to the NNPP.
They were officially welcomed into the NNPP by Abdullahi Maikano, the state chairman.
After the defection, the group, formerly known as Sardauna Dawo-Dawo, changed its name to Mailantarki Movement and stated that it has chosen to support the NNPP candidate because she is “young, diversified, competent, energetic, and kind-hearted.”
Chairman of the group, Muhammad Makson added that Mailantarki is tested and trusted, and has the character to deal decisively with current issues and challenges facing the state.
Makson said, ”Our pulling out of our support for the PDP was a collective decision, we all decided to quit and join the NNPP so that we can have better leadership in Gombe State.
“We believe Mailantarki has the good character and capacity to rescue Gombe State from the misrule of the APC. He has always been saying the right things and has done the right things in the past.”
He disclosed that the group has about 2000 exco members and over 20,000 volunteers spread across the 114 wards of gombe state.
Receiving the defectors into the NNPP, Mailantarki assured them that they would be carried along in all the activities of the party, “especially now that the campaigns had commenced, and god’s willing, the nnpp will win the next general election.”
He urged them to garner more support and promote the party and its candidates in the state, adding that “it is only through grassroots mobilisation the nnpp can uproot and defeat the failed ruling all progressives congress in the state.”
Mailantarki assured party members, stressing, “we will run an all-inclusive government in Gombe State if he is elected as governor,” he added.