Lawal Yahaya Gumau, the senator representing the Bauchi South senatorial district for the New Nigerian People’s Party, has switched to the state’s governing Peoples Democratic Party.
Gumau, a former representative for the Toro Federal Constituency, ran for and was elected to the Senate as a member of the All Progressives Congress.
However, after failing to secure the APC nomination to run for the Senate seat in the general elections of 2023, he defected to the NNPP and won the nomination following a protracted power struggle with Yakubu Shehu, the current member of the House of Representatives who represents the Bauchi Federal Constituency.
He was rumored to have received preference over Shehu from the NNPP’s national leadership and Rabi’u Kwankwaso, the party’s presidential candidate.
The congressman, together with his campaign managers and followers, left the NNPP and joined the ruling PDP in Bauchi after failing to win re-election to the upper chamber and evidently as a result of the NNPP’s appalling showing in the presidential and National Assembly elections.
After a conversation with Bala Mohammed, the governor of Bauchi State, he declared his conversion to the PDP.
The congressman endorsed Mohammed’s campaign for reelection and urged his supporters in his senatorial district to cast a large number of votes for the governor and all of the House of Assembly candidates on March 11.
He claimed that the governor has performed above average and expectations, and that as a result, everyone should support him in order for him to be elected again so that he may carry out additional development projects in the state’s and its citizens’ best interests.
“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,” he stated.
In response, Governor Bala Mohammed welcomed Gumau and all of his fans and campaign managers to the state’s ruling PDP and pledged to provide them a level playing field so they could help all of his new party’s candidates win the upcoming governorship and state assembly elections in the state.
