Khamisu Ahmad Mailantarki, President Muhammadu Buhari’s returning officer during the 2019 general election in Gombe State, has dumped the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC).

Mailantarki was also a founding member of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in Gombe State.

He, however, announced his decision to dump the APC via a letter addressed to the APC Chairman of Herwagana Ward of Gombe Local Government Area, a copy of which was made available to The Star on Sunday.

The letter read: “With gratitude to the Almighty Allah, I hereby wish to notify you of my decision to resign my membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“I thank you and the entire membership of the party for your support while my membership lasted.”

Speaking to The Star, Mailantarki said his decision was for the best interest of the state and his political future, adding that, he would not, otherwise, have left the house he built with passion.

“As the only member elected under the Congress for Progressives Change (CPC), I personally funded the entire process of merger in Gombe State and I was the returning officer of President Buhari’s election in 2019 in the state.

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“Even after the governorship primaries in the state, we supported President Buhari and Governor Inuwa Yahaya and made sure APC won to an extent that we converted Gombe State from fully PDP to a fully APC state,” the former lawmaker added.

Mailantarki was a one time Board Member in the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).

He won the House of Representative seat for Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency in 2011 with 122,987 votes.

He contested and won again in 2015 but was removed by the Supreme Court, which declared Yaya Bauchi Tongo as the authentic winner of the APC primary election of the Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye Federal Constituency.

Mailantarki also participated in the 2019 APC governorship primary election along with Inuwa Yahaya who was declared winner of the gubernatorial polls.

The Star