Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang has revealed he is facing significant pressure from political stakeholders to defect from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), but has firmly vowed to remain with his current party.
The governor, who is expected to seek re-election in 2027, made the declaration during a public event at the Government House Banquet Hall in Jos on Saturday, stating that only divine authority and the people of Plateau State could determine his political allegiance.
“It is not a lie that they also put pressure on me,” Governor Mutfwang told the gathering. “But I told them only two people would authorise me to change my party. One is the God of heaven, then the other is you, the people.”
In a dramatic moment that underscored his commitment to his political base, the governor turned to the audience and asked: “Have you asked me to go anywhere?” The crowd responded with a resounding “No.”
The governor’s statement comes against the backdrop of recent political developments within the state’s APC chapter. Several weeks ago, APC stakeholders in Plateau State publicly rejected speculation about the governor’s potential defection to their party.
During a recent APC stakeholders’ meeting in Jos, a motion suggesting the governor’s possible admission into the party was overwhelmingly defeated. The motion, proposed by Festus Fuanter, a former Deputy National Secretary of the APC, was rejected through a voice vote.
“We don’t want anybody coming to our party. You do your thing, and we’ll do ours,” Mr Fuanter had stated at the meeting, adding that the party was confident of its strength ahead of the 2027 elections and did not require external support.
In response to this rejection, Governor Mutfwang suggested that those opposing his speculated defection were acting out of apprehension rather than genuine political calculation.
“So those who are rejecting me for what I did not look for are doing a useless exercise,” the governor remarked. “The truth is that 60 to 70 per cent of the people in the APC on the Plateau will be glad to have us in their party. They know I will not join them, and that is why they are angry and trying to twist it.”
He indicated that the matter was not one he intended to dwell on, adding simply: “It’s a story for another day.”
Governor Mutfwang’s firm commitment to the PDP provides some respite for the main opposition party, which has seen several of its governors defect to the ruling party since the 2023 general elections. The PDP has lost governors Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, and Peter Mbah of Enugu to the APC, while Duoye Diri of Bayelsa has also resigned from the party and is widely expected to join the ruling party.
The PDP’s governors in Taraba, Zamfara, and Osun had also been reported to be considering moves to the ruling party, though Governors Ademola Adeleke of Osun and Dauda Lawal of Zamfara have denied these reports. Meanwhile, associates of Taraba Governor Agbo Kefas have recently organised public events across the state to gauge support for his potential defection to the APC.
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