No less than 15 All Progressives Congress stalwarts have defected to the Peoples Democratic Party along with their supporters in Gombe State.

Addressing supporters on Saturday at the PDP secretariat, Lazarus Yoriyo, a former deputy governor, said that he was not impressed with the happenings in the ruling APC, adding that he had seen it all.

Yoriyo was a former deputy governor to ex-governor Danjuma Goje, who is now the senator representing Gombe Central.

Until 2019, PDP remained the dominant political party in the state prior to the electoral victory of Governor Muhammadu Yahaya, who swept the entire state.

According to Yoriyo, PDP remains the best political party ever when compared to what obtains in APC.

He said, “I went to APC, and I have seen everything that happened there. However, what is happening there is not encouraging. PDP is the best place to ever be.”

While commenting on the imperative of owning a voter card, the former deputy governor urged his teeming supporters to get it ready.

“I wish to appeal to thousands of our supporters to get their Permanent Voters Card ahead of 2023 elections,” Yoriyo said.

Also speaking, the chairman of the party, Maj. Gen. Abnor Kwaskebe, lauded the determination of the defectors to retrace their steps.

Kwaskebe said that the state would continue to remain a PDP state, adding that the party had intended to use the township stadium but was denied by authorities.

While welcoming the defectors, the chairman stressed that their rights would be given to them.

“Gombe is PDP, PDP is Gombe. They have returned today because APC has turned hot for them,” he said.