Yakubu Busari
As the internal crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has continued to deepen, the Candidate for the 2023 Plateau Central Senatorial District , Amb. Golkuna Yohanna Gotom dumped the party by resigning membership to join the Nigerian Democratic Congress NDC.
He explained that his reasons for quitting were best on the timeline of INEC to conduct the general elections ,now the situation became obvious that the two factions of the PDP at the national level were not ready to reconcile, which made him to announced his resignation.
Speaking to journalists in Jos, the Plateau State capital , Amb.GY Gotom said the PDP structure that gave him the platform to contest in 2023 mandate is “no longer exists.”
He cited factional splits, a breakdown in party discipline, and a lack of direction from leadership at the national level.
According to him,“The current party leaders had no discipline, especially at the national leadership level,” . “It’s like a woman married to two husbands at once, each running by different rules. Nobody is in charge.”
He blamed that the party’s declined on the defection of more than 15 governors to the All Progressives Congress and on dispute over the conduct of party congresses. Gotom says ,
He lamented that ,one of faction with structure that organized congresses from ward to state level held its congress in Ibadan which what he described as the most organized national congress , while a rival faction led by Abdurrahman insisted there was “another PDP by the side led by Wike .”
Gotom criticized a recent court ruling that he said favored the faction that did not conduct grassroots congresses, sidelining the group that held a peaceful, rancour-free national congress, adding that the Wike faction is like “a man having a cap without his head,” he said.
The former candidate said he had remained in the PDP after earlier defection of Governor Caleb Mutfwang but expressed worried that contesting under the party PDP now would be futile given unresolved disputes over its structures.
He said he was inclined to consider other platforms, including Accord, ADC, APM, and a party he referred to as NDC, as his preferred options.
Gotom also raised concerns over what he described as interference by the Attorney General and minister for justice in party registration, arguing that the role belongs to the INEC to disregister any political party that failed to meet constitutional requirements .
He said if a party breaks the rules, the matter should go through the Federal High Court, then the Court of Appeal, and finally the Supreme Court, rather than being decided by the AG. “The AG should be a neutral referee, not a player,” he said.
Responding to criticism that he was absent from his constituency, Gotom dismissed the claims as coming from political enemies. He said politics depends on capacity and grassroots structure, not physical presence. He pointed to his role in organizing congresses and bringing in a councilor who later defected to the APC, and said youth, women, and stakeholders would decide the way forward.
Gotom said he had already registered with one party but would not name it yet to avoid complications. He warned that if regulations are made to “truncate democracy, God will definitely come for our rescue,” but added that if a window to contest and win remains open, he would take it.
His resignation adds to a wave of high-profile defections and legal battles that have shaken the PDP in recent years.
Gotom said he is positioning himself on “justice, equity, and fairness” against what he called fraudulent, one-party-system politics.
