The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum says its efforts to persuade Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and join the APC have the full backing of the party’s national leadership.
According to Forum Chairman Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the ongoing campaign to bring Mutfwang into the APC is not a personal agenda but a directive supported from the top. He made this known in a statement issued in Abuja, urging those within the party who oppose the move to rethink their stance.
However, not everyone in the APC shares this view. Several leaders within Plateau State’s APC have pushed back, worried that Mutfwang’s defection could shift control of the party’s local structure and possibly hand him the 2027 governorship ticket. The internal disagreement intensified when the Forum openly backed the “Green Cap Movement”—a group linked to Mutfwang’s loyalists—for the next gubernatorial race.
The backlash has been fierce. Critics within the APC have labelled the Forum’s move as anti-party and called for disciplinary action, including the possible suspension of Chairman Zazzaga. One of the most vocal critics, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, the APC’s 2023 governorship candidate in Plateau, questioned Zazzaga’s loyalty and intentions.
Despite this, Zazzaga stood firm, saying that those resisting the effort are the ones undermining party unity. He urged them to be cautious, insisting that the initiative aims to strengthen—not divide—the APC. He argued that political parties should be open to welcoming progressive leaders and emphasized that no individual does not owns the APC.
The Forum also pointed to the recent defections of Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and Akwa Ibom Governor Umo Eno to the APC as signs of progress. It said Plateau should not be left out. They stressed that their broader aim is to bring the entire North-Central region under APC control, especially with President Bola Tinubu’s creation of the North-Central Development Commission to speed up regional growth.
They also highlighted Mutfwang’s growing ties with the presidency, noting his recent participation in Sallah celebrations with Tinubu in Lagos as a sign of goodwill.
Zazzaga urged the Plateau APC Executive Committee to work with the state government, warning that continued internal resistance could hurt the party’s influence ahead of 2027. He dismissed the backlash against him as unnecessary and defended the Forum’s actions as a smart political strategy.
In his words, inviting the governor to join the APC is not sabotage—it’s a step towards a stronger, more unified party.
