Abuja – The All Progressives Congress (APC) announced on Thursday that Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang has defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling APC. The announcement was made by APC National Chairman Professor Nentawe Yelwatda during the party’s 14th National Caucus meeting at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja. Yelwatda said that with Governor Mutfwang’s defection, the APC now controls all the states in the North Central region.
President Bola Tinubu was present at the meeting, which also included six governors who recently defected from the PDP to the APC. Yelwatda, who is also from Plateau State, noted that the defection consolidates the APC’s dominance in the North Central geopolitical zone ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The APC chairman added that Governor Mutfwang would finalise his entry into the APC by resigning from the PDP and registering in his ward in Mangu Local Government Area of the state. He said the APC is also ready to retain the presidency in 2027.
Earlier in the day, Mutfwang held a valedictory meeting with his aides and loyalists where he briefed them on his final preparations to join the APC. His political adviser, Istifanus Mwansat, told our correspondent that though Mutfwang had not formally joined the APC, his mind and body are in the party.
Mutfwang’s defection caps weeks of speculation and political jockeying. The PDP, struggling with internal crises and defections, has yet to issue a formal response to Mutfwang’s announcement.
The APC now counts 26 governors in its fold, including recent defectors from Delta, Rivers, Enugu, Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Taraba and others. The party’s national chairman expressed confidence that the APC will continue to dominate the political landscape in the country.
The APC’s 14th National Caucus meeting was attended by President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives Abbas Tajudeen, and several other top party officials.
The defection of Governor Caleb Mutfwang is seen as a significant realignment ahead of the 2027 general elections and consolidates the APC’s control in the North Central geopolitical zone.
