President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has formally welcomed Taraba State Governor, Dr. Agbu Kefas, into the All Progressives Congress (APC), pledging a “stronger development partnership” with the strategic North-East state.
The historic defection was cemented at a grand rally in Jalingo on Saturday, where Vice President Kashim Shettima stood in for the President, delivering a firm assurance of Governor Kefas’s place within the party’s leadership and a renewed federal focus on Taraba’s progress.
Conveying President Tinubu’s personal message, Vice President Shettima declared, “My dear brother, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has asked me to assure you of your place not only in the party, but in our continuing relationship to prioritise the development of our people.”
He emphasised the President’s governing philosophy, stating, “He has demonstrated that no region is expendable. No state is ornamental.”
The Vice President described the accession as a recognition of Taraba’s long-standing, quiet contribution to the nation.
“What makes us different from other political parties is that we believe that nations endure when they learn to recognise their quiet strengths. We believe that Taraba is one of such strengths,” Shettima said.
He elevated the state’s national importance, noting, “Today, we are not discovering Taraba. We are just acknowledging what we have always known: its place at the centre of Nigeria’s political stability and future.”
Shettima positioned Taraba as critical to national resilience, calling it “pivotal to Nigeria’s food and energy security.” He elaborated on its unique assets: “Taraba sits where food security meets energy security. Where fertile land meets flowing water. Where mineral wealth meets industrial possibility.” The move, he argued, strengthens the APC’s foundational goal as a “meeting point” for Nigeria’s diverse regions.
The event drew a powerful delegation from the party’s top echelons, underscoring the defection’s significance. The Deputy Senate President, Senator Jibrin Barau, representing the Senate President, congratulated Kefas for taking “the best decision for the state,” predicting it would “enhance agriculture, infrastructure and the economy of Taraba state.” He confirmed that “the entire National Assembly is in support of the decision.”
APC National Chairman, Prof. Nantawe Yilwatda, offered a more pointed political analysis, thanking Governor Kefas for saving the state from what he termed “the sinking PDP.”
He described the move as essential “to accelerate progress, development and prosperity,” advising that “the best thing is to align with the centre so that all the good things and policies happening at that level will come to Taraba State.”
Governor Kefas, addressing the crowd, framed his decision as a pragmatic move for development, divorced from mere political intrigue. “This decision is for the youth, for infrastructure, for the elders and the progress of Taraba State,” he stated. He stressed a forward-looking agenda: “My defection to the APC is not about playing politics or dwelling in the past but to live with purpose… Taraba must move into the center to benefit from the policies and the programs of our President.”
The Governor also commended the state’s security agencies for maintaining a peaceful environment, a necessary precondition for the political event.
The rally culminated in the symbolic handover of the APC flag to Governor Kefas by the party’s national leadership, formally anointing him as the party’s leader in Taraba State and marking the state’s full integration into the ruling party’s fold.
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