Three Weeks After Joining APC, Dr. Umbugadu Dumps Party, Rejoins PDP

Dr David Emmanuel Ombugadu, a former Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Nasarawa State, has resigned from the All Progressives Congress barely three weeks after joining the ruling party.

NaijaChoice News gathered that the politician, popularly known as Davematics, confirmed the move in a letter dated March 24, 2026, addressed to the APC chairman of Ika/Wangibi Ward in Nasarawa Eggon Local Government Area. He cited alleged political manoeuvres within the party aimed at undermining his 2027 governorship ambition as the main reason for his exit.

Ombugadu had defected to the APC from the PDP and was formally received at the Government House in Lafia on March 2, 2026, by Governor Abdullahi Sule, former governors Abdullahi Adamu and Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, and other top party leaders. The grand reception had raised hopes of a strengthened APC structure in the state.

The development marks yet another twist in Ombugadu’s political journey. He first joined the PDP in 2014 after leaving the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, where he had served as a federal lawmaker representing the Akwanga/Nasarawa-Eggon/Wamba constituency. He stayed with the PDP until his brief and dramatic switch to the APC earlier this month.

Political watchers in Nasarawa say the swift return to his original base could reshape alliances ahead of the 2027 governorship race. Some of his supporters have already pointed to claims of manipulation in the APC’s recent electronic membership registration exercise, which they believe favoured other aspirants eyeing the seat currently occupied by Governor Sule.

Ombugadu has described the PDP as his true political home. His latest move is expected to energise the opposition in the state even as both major parties intensify preparations for next year’s polls.