I Joined the APC in the Overall Interest of Plateau, Says Mutfwang

.APC will win Osun convincingly, Yilwatda declares

Seriki Adinoyi in Jos and Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has said that he joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the overall interest of the state, revealing that President Bola Tinubu personally invited him to decamp from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling party.

This was as the National Chairman of APC, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has said that the ruling party would win the Osun State governorship election convincingly in 2026.

Mutfwang reiterated that after months of consultations and personal introspection, he had to make the move in the interest of the state.

The governor said he did not make the move for personal gain but as a form of respect to Tinubu, who has shown a special interest in Plateau State and its challenges.

He added that though the President had extended the invitation to him to join the APC on several occasions, he had politely declined until it became very obvious that the PDP is enmeshed in serious chaos at the national level.

“I pay my respects to President Tinubu for honouring our earlier decisions not to move to the APC and still maintaining a cordial relationship with us despite that,” he said.

He noted that there had also been the beckoning of highly placed personalities, including fellow governors from the APC too, but the whole time, he stood by his decision.

He however, stated that what finally changed his mind was the challenges and chaos in the PDP at the national level.

“Until recently, when it became clear that the PDP at the national level has undeniable problems with its structure, the need to decamp to another party was already quieted. We have zero challenges at the state level but all our efforts are vain without a solid structure at the national level.

“The risks involved in staying back in the PDP are too high for us to carelessly gamble with the mandate Plateau people gave us. No one can tell reassuringly when and how the crisis will end, or what wins or losses could be incurred.

“Bearing in mind the emotional torture our dear people went through, we can’t, by our actions or inactions, subject ourselves to another experience like that,” he observed.

The governor explained that he could have easily moved to another party but that history had taught him that it is one thing to be voted massively, and another to make sure the votes count.

“Although we’ve had our issues with Plateau APC, we can’t deny the favour and cordiality with which the Tinubu-led administration has related with us. And since the President didn’t try to force us to join the APC before things went completely sour in the PDP, it’s fair enough that we considered joining the APC.

“We have a chance to attract and be entitled to so many good things, from appointments, to favours that will richly impact Plateau. Is it really wisdom to forfeit all that? No! Already there’s good news to be announced soon. Stay tuned,” the governor assured.

Meanwhile, the state chapter of the APC has welcomed the defection of Governor Mutfwang from the PDP, pledging to support him to succeed in his new political journey.

The party’s Publicity Secretary, Shittu Bamaiyi, stated this yesterday in Jos.

Reacting to the governor’s defection, Bamaiyi described the APC as a non-discriminatory party open to all eligible Nigerians, including the governor. “People must understand that joining a political party is the right of every citizen of Nigeria.”

He urged critics to respect the governor’s decision, saying, “While some people have the right to be annoyed, others also have the right to be happy.”

Describing Mutfwang’s defection as a boost to the party, Bamayi said, “Whether you like it or not, our number in APC has increased. He expressed confidence in the governor’s ability to lead, saying, “The governor is not new to party politics. He has been in a political party, and as such, he knows what to do. We expect that he is going to carry everyone along. So, he is welcome to the APC. We are going to give him the needed support.”

In another development, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Yilwatda made the declaration to win Osun in 2026  yesterday in Abuja during the presentation of Certificate of Return to the party’s governorship candidate, Bola Oyebamiji.

He stated, “Just to inform the world that we just minted a brand new candidate for Osun State governorship election against 2026 election in Osun. And it was by consensus, which is unique compared to all other political parties, where the nine candidates come together and pick one of them to represent them in the general election. 

“It shows the level of symbiosis and the good relationship between the candidates, which we know the candidate is going to carry everybody along, not just in the primary election but also in the general election and also in governance.

“So, we are proud and happy to announce that Bola Oyebamiji will be the sole candidate of APC in that election. We also handed over to him his certificate of return and he is now, by this certificate of return given to him today, our candidate for 2026 election in August 2026 in Osun election.

“Having said that, the party is ready to stand with Osun people neck to neck, leg to leg. We will stand by them day and night from now until the day of the election to ensure that APC wins Osun State and also wins convincingly. Not just winning, but we want to win convincingly beyond any reasonable doubt for the election next year.”

On his part, Oyebamiji assured that APC would take over the mantle of leadership from the “dancing government” in the state.

According to him, “The business of governance is a serious business. And we have a lot of human assets. We have a lot of material assets in the state of Osun. And we need a serious manager to drive that asset. And that serious manager is Bola Oyebamiji. And now that I have that mandate, we are going to carry that mandate and come 2026 and 2027, we are going to deliver Osun. We are going to deliver to the President in that election.”