Plateau governor Mutfwang joins APC in major Plateau shake-up

By: Abudu Olalekan

It’s the political news nobody saw coming. Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has officially left the PDP and joined the ruling APC. What’s behind this massive shift?

Well, it happened. The rumors that have been swirling around Abuja and Jos in hushed tones are no longer whispers. They’re a full-blown political earthquake. Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State, a man who rode to power on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has jumped ship. He’s now a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Just like that.

The announcement didn’t come from some leaked memo or a hurried press conference on the steps of Government House in Jos. No. This was a power move, done right in the heart of the capital. The APC’s 14th National Caucus meeting was underway at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja. It was a room full of the party’s biggest shots. And then the National Chairman of the APC, Nentawe Yilwatda, took the floor.

There was a certain glint in his eye. You could tell. This was personal for him. Yilwatda, himself a son of Plateau, made the grand declaration. He didn’t just announce a new member; he announced a conquest. He revealed that Governor Mutfwang had made the decision to cross over, to join the “moving train.” The room, you can imagine, erupted. This was a big fish. A very big fish.

For the APC, this is more than just one governor. Its a strategic masterstroke. “With the defection of Governor Mutfwang, the entire North-Central region is now governed by the APC,” Yilwatda declared, and you could almost hear the sound of the final puzzle piece locking into place. The North-Central, a complex and often volatile geopolitical zone, is now a solid block of APC-controlled states. The final domino has fallen. It’s a huge deal for the ruling party’s agenda and their grip on the country’s political heartland.

But what does this mean for Plateau? The state is still reeling. Mutfwang’s journey to the governor’s seat was a brutal one, fraught with legal battles that went all the way to the Supreme Court. He fought under the PDP banner, and the people of Plateau, who have a long history with the PDP, stood by him. Now, their captain has switched jerseys. You gotta wonder how that feels.

So, the big question on everyone’s lips is… why? Why now?

Politics is never a simple game of black and white. Its a messy, complicated shade of grey. Was this a move for survival? A deal struck in a quiet, high-powered room to secure his seat and maybe get some federal backing to tackle the state’s nagging security and economic problems? Or maybe, just maybe, it was a genuine change of heart, a belief that his people’s interests are better served within the ruling party’s structure. No one is saying for sure.

Meanwhile, over at the PDP headquarters, it must be chaos. A state they fought tooth and nail to win has been snatched away, not by the ballot, but by a defection. It’s a gut punch. A betrayal. It undermines their entire structure in the state and sends a demoralising signal to their members nationwide.

This move changes everything. It redraws the political map of the North-Central and throws Plateau State’s future into a whole new territory. The implications are going to ripple out for months, maybe even years, affecting party loyalties, appointments, and the entire political landscape ahead of the next election cycle. One thing is certain. Politics in Nigeria is never, ever boring.