Mutfwang Seals Defection to APC with One Million Vote Pledge for 2027

In a move that has fundamentally altered the political geometry of the North-Central region, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang officially consummated his transition to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday. Amidst the high-stakes atmosphere of the party’s state secretariat in Jos, Mutfwang was formally presented with his membership card, an act that signaled the end of his association with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the beginning of a new, ambitious alliance with the presidency. In his maiden address as an APC member, the Governor delivered a bold electoral promise: to deliver at least one million votes from Plateau State to President Bola Tinubu in the 2026/2027 polls.

The Governor’s defection, which follows months of intense political speculation and reported “pressure” from national stakeholders, was framed by Mutfwang as a “journey of faith” rather than a mere change of political platform. He described his decision as a divinely guided attempt to unite a state that has long been fractured by partisan, ethnic, and religious divisions. “I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Mutfwang told a cheering crowd of APC leaders and supporters, suggesting that his entry into the ruling party is the final building block in creating a “united Plateau” that can advocate effectively for national development.

Addressing the skepticism that has trailed his departure from the PDP, Mutfwang urged his former colleagues and the fearful public to remain patient, noting that “time will reveal everything.” He sought to soften the blow of his exit by clarifying that his move was not born out of hostility toward the PDP, but out of a pragmatic need to align the state’s interests with the federal government’s reform agenda. For Mutfwang, the shift represents a transition from being an “outsider” to an “insider” in the conversations that determine the distribution of national resources and developmental dividends.

The centerpiece of his declaration was his unwavering commitment to the “Tinubu project.” Mutfwang recalled his very first meeting with the President in June 2023, where he reportedly gave his word of support. By joining the APC, the Governor believes he has now placed Plateau State at the heart of the President’s re-election machinery. He expressed confidence that with the state’s political actors now gathered under a single umbrella, achieving the one-million-vote target for Tinubu would be a historical but achievable feat, significantly surpassing the margins seen in previous electoral cycles.

For the APC, Mutfwang’s entry is a strategic masterstroke that effectively consolidates the party’s control over the entire North-Central geopolitical zone. Nentawe Yilwatda, the APC National Chairman and Mutfwang’s former rival in the 2023 gubernatorial race, welcomed the Governor with “open arms,” describing the registration as a statement of hope and inclusive development. This new partnership, which only months ago seemed impossible amidst bitter election petitions, is now being hailed as the “Plateau Peoples Party” movement, a collaborative effort to reduce political acrimony to its barest minimum.

As the “Obidient” movement and other opposition forces continue to reorganize elsewhere, the consolidation of Plateau under the APC banner represents a formidable challenge to any rival 2027 strategy in the Middle Belt. Mutfwang’s departure leaves the PDP in a precarious position in the state, despite his assurances that those he left behind are “not enemies, but friends.” The coming months will reveal if the Governor can successfully migrate his vast grassroots support base into the APC fold, or if the “fearful” skeptics he addressed will remain a hurdle to his million-vote ambition.