PDP’s base is further discounted as Plateau Governor Mutfwang jumps on the APC bandwagon

All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced the defection of Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The desperate political move seeks to preserve the political future if Mutfwang who has a reelection hurdle to scale.

The ruling party said Mutfwang’s defection had further consolidated its political strength in the North Central zone.

The announcement was made on Thursday by APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yelwata, during the party’s 14th National Caucus meeting held at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja.

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Yelwata, who hails from Plateau State, described the governor’s switch as a significant political development for the party.

“With the defection of Governor Mutfwang, the entire North Central is now governed by the APC,” Yelwata declared to party leaders and stakeholders at the meeting.

Governor Mutfwang was elected on the platform of the PDP in the 2023 general elections and is the latest in a growing list of prominent politicians to leave the main opposition party for the APC, signalling a shift in the region’s political landscape.

Beyond the defection announcement, the APC leadership used the occasion to unveil a renewed push to strengthen its internal structure through a comprehensive electronic membership registration exercise.

Yelwata announced January 30, 2026, as the deadline for all party members to complete their e-registration, stressing that the process was critical to deepening transparency and internal democracy within the party.

“We’ve done training at the state level, we’ve done a zonal level, we’ve done a local government in most of the states. And I want to urge our stakeholders to support the nationwide rollout of this noble activity,” he said.

He assured both new and existing members of equal rights and opportunities within the party, urging them to take full advantage of the registration exercise.

“Let us use [take] the opportunity to assure all the new members that they have all the rights and privileges within the party, to urge them to capitalize on the nationwide membership registration, to register their supporters. So both the old and new members should go to the portal and register all their members,” Yelwata added.

According to him, the exercise was not optional.

“We expect that this drive should be done from now to January ending, 30th of January. All members must have registered and prepared for our congresses that will come ahead,” he said.

The caucus meeting drew top-level attendance, including President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, leaders of the National Assembly, and former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

Also present were APC governors, including Peter Mbah of Enugu, Douye Diri of Bayelsa, Agbu Kefas of Taraba, and Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, who recently defected to the party, alongside former governors, members of the party’s national leadership, and other key stakeholders.