PDP in meltdown as Taraba gov, other power brokers plot defection to APC

Nigeria’s political map is undergoing another dramatic shift as Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, moves closer to joining the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a move that could make him the first PDP governor from the North to defect under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

His planned defection follows that of Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, who officially joined the APC on Tuesday, taking along the entire political structure of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

Sources close to the Taraba Government House told Daily Trust that Kefas has set up a committee co-chaired by former Senator Dahiru Bako to consult stakeholders before making his final announcement. The development came after a pro-APC youth group held a rally in Jalingo, calling on the governor to “join the progressive train.”

Senator Bako confirmed the consultations, saying, “Governor Kefas is a democrat. He will not take such a decision without the people’s consent.”

The APC in Taraba has already expressed readiness to receive the governor, but insiders, according to Daily Trust, say the planned move has unsettled some of its long-time members, who fear they could lose political ground ahead of 2027 if Kefas brings along PDP lawmakers and aides.

Efforts to reach the governor’s aides, Emmanuel Bello and Josiah Kente, proved abortive, while PDP State Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Bawa, dismissed the defection talk as “a creation of the APC,” declining comment on the committee’s work.

Defection Wave Weakens PDP’s Southern Grip

Governor Kefas’s possible switch follows a pattern of PDP governors decamping to the ruling party in recent months. Enugu’s Peter Mbah joined the APC on Tuesday, shortly after Delta’s Sheriff Oborevwori and Akwa Ibom’s Umo Eno made similar moves.

Before Mbah’s defection, the PDP had maintained uninterrupted control of Enugu since 1999. With that loss, the party’s once-dominant southern base is fast eroding.

Now, all eyes are on Bayelsa’s Douye Diri and Zamfara’s Dauda Lawal, who are rumoured to be next in line. Although both governors have denied such plans, sources say the pressure to defect remains intense.

Analysts view the defections as part of President Tinubu’s calculated strategy to consolidate power ahead of 2027. The APC now controls three of five South East states and four of six South South states, while influential governors like Oyo’s Seyi Makinde and Osun’s Ademola Adeleke, though still in PDP, are openly aligned with the presidency.

In the South West, where Tinubu’s political influence is strongest, the APC controls four of six states, with both PDP-led states seen as friendly.

If Kefas ultimately defects, it would mark a symbolic breakthrough for Tinubu in the North and could spark further defections among opposition governors in states like Kano, where Governor Abba Yusuf’s mentor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, is reportedly negotiating a return to the APC.

Opposition Warns: APC Plotting One-Party State

Reacting to the development, former Senate President and PDP Board of Trustees Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, accused the APC of “executing a grand plot to erase opposition and install one-party rule.”

Wabara said, “This is not democracy; it’s a creeping autocracy. The APC is using intimidation and inducement to force opposition leaders into submission.”

He described the ongoing defections as “coerced and motivated by fear,” adding that “the APC has failed to justify any ideological reason for this mass migration.”

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) also condemned the trend, saying the ruling party’s tactics were “driven by greed and desperation.”

“The governors joining the APC are not doing so out of conviction. They are motivated by self-preservation,” said ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi. “The ruling party’s aim is to kill democracy and silence dissent.”

Shettima: Defections Prove APC’s Strength

Vice President Kashim Shettima, however, dismissed the opposition’s claims, saying the wave of defections proves the APC’s appeal as “a natural home for visionary leaders.”

Speaking in Enugu while representing President Tinubu at the grand reception for Governor Mbah and his cabinet, Shettima said the defections were “a testament to the APC’s inclusive politics.”

“The APC has built bridges of trust and competence. The opposition’s implosion is of their own making,” he said. “We represent order over chaos and progress over paralysis.”

APC National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, also hailed the development, describing it as “a triumph of progressive ideals.”

“Governor Mbah is a performer and a reformer. He has found his true home in the APC,” he said.