Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State has formally begun the process of defecting from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to the governor, President Bola Tinubu has personally acknowledged the intention and “formally handed over” Governor Kefas to the APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, for the next steps of his initiation into the party.
Governor Kefas revealed this political realignment on Thursday during a meeting with APC youths and stakeholders at the T.Y. Danjuma House in Abuja. He confirmed that President Tinubu had already received his “letter of approval” to leave the PDP.
The governor noted that preparations were now “in top gear” for his official unveiling as an APC member in Taraba State.
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The governor explained that his decision was motivated by the need to put the state’s development first. Rikwense Muri, the APC Youth Vanguard’s Publicity Secretary for Taraba State, issued a statement confirming that the governor met with key youth influencers to discuss forming a united political front for the “accelerated transformation of Taraba State through stronger collaboration with the federal government.”
Governor Kefas was quoted during the meeting as saying:“Taraba could no longer afford to remain isolated from the mainstream of national politics.”
He further explained that his choice to “realign politically was driven by the higher goal of ensuring greater development, improved security, and increased federal presence in the state.”
He stressed his guiding principle:‘’I am guided by the need to put Taraba first,’ the governor was quoted as saying. ‘Our state must take its rightful place in national development, and that can only happen when we work hand in hand with the centre’.”
Comrade Abubakar Gembo, speaking after the meeting, affirmed the youths’ readiness to receive the governor, describing his planned defection as a “boost” for the APC in the state.
Gembo said:“Governor Kefas called us to inform us of his readiness to join our great party, the APC. He told us he had met with President Tinubu, who received him and handed him over to the national chairman.”
Gembo added that the governor assured the youths of “inclusiveness in his administration,” a commitment he noted was demonstrated even during the governor’s time in the PDP.
Idris Ayuba, the chairman of the APC Youth Vanguard, Taraba State chapter, confirmed that the defection had been “perfected” at the national level and was only waiting for a “formal reception by stakeholders at the ward, local government, and state levels.”
Ayuba urged APC members to support Kefas, calling him a “youth-friendly leader whose policies have consistently focused on empowerment and inclusion.”
The APC youth stakeholders collectively commended the governor for his “foresight, courage, and readiness to prioritise the collective interest of Tarabians above partisan considerations.”
Kefas was elected governor in 2023 on the platform of the PDP, the party that had governed Taraba since the start of Nigeria’s current democratic era in 1999.
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