North-Central APC Faults Plateau Leaders for Rejecting Governor Mutfwang’s Defection Proposal

The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has strongly rejected a resolution by Plateau State APC leaders that opposed the possible defection of Governor Caleb Mutfwang from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC. The Forum accused the dissenting Plateau leaders of acting out of personal interests rather than the party’s collective good.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Forum’s chairman, Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, reaffirmed the call for Governor Mutfwang to abandon the “drowning” PDP and join the APC. He described the Plateau APC leaders’ resolution, which was unanimous at a stakeholders’ meeting held on October 17, 2025, as unrepresentative since many of those present were not invited members of the Forum and were largely unsuccessful during past elections.

The Forum specifically revealed that some of the leaders opposing Mutfwang’s defection failed to win their polling units in the recent elections yet are now lobbying for federal appointments under President Bola Tinubu’s administration. For example, the APC 2023 governorship running mate in Plateau lost both his polling unit and ward to the PDP but remains among those opposing the governor’s switch to APC. The only Plateau APC leader to secure his local government for Tinubu was the APC National Chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda.

The North-Central APC Forum criticized those resisting Mutfwang’s entry as lacking the capacity to win elections and labeled their actions as motivated by personal gain rather than the party’s interests. “It’s not about merely rejecting Governor Mutfwang; the real question is, who can win the governorship for APC?” Zazzaga asked.

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The group further insisted that party rewards and appointments should be linked to electoral performances. It challenged those seeking federal positions to present proof of their polling unit successes, promising transparency to President Tinubu by publishing polling results from each unit after the next elections.

Governor Mutfwang has publicly acknowledged pressure from political actors to leave the PDP for the APC, supported by influential figures within the Presidential Villa. Despite Plateau APC leaders dismissing his claims and demanding he name those pressuring him, the North-Central APC Forum stands by the governor’s statement, emphasizing its commitment to convincing him to defect in the best interest of Plateau and himself.

The Plateau APC leaders, who passed the resolution opposing Mutfwang’s defection, expressed skepticism about the governor’s claim of pressure to join the APC. They have vowed to take stringent action against factions endorsing Mutfwang, such as the Green Cap Movement—a political group associated with him and adopted by the North-Central APC Forum ahead of the 2027 gubernatorial election.

This intra-party friction highlights tensions within the APC in Plateau State as the 2027 elections approach, underscoring divisions between factions supporting inclusivity and those maintaining rigid opposition to defections, despite ongoing shifts in Nigeria’s political landscape