Barring any last-minute change, Taraba State Governor Agbu Kefas appears set to become the latest Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governor to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) after Enugu State governor, Peter Mbah on Tuesday made a similar switch.
The move, which has been the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks, gained momentum after Kefas’ close aides reportedly began consultations across the state and a youth group staged a rally in Jalingo on Tuesday, urging him to join the APC.
Sources told Daily Trust that the governor has constituted a committee co-chaired by former Senator Dahiru Bako to engage stakeholders and gauge public opinion ahead of the possible defections.
Senator Bako confirmed during one of the consultations that Kefas would not take such a step without first seeking inputs from the people.
“The governor will not make any political move without hearing from the people and carrying them along. That is why we are meeting with them,” he said.
The APC in the state has already declared readiness to receive the governor, even as some youth groups have continued to stage rallies urging him to join. However, the planned defection is said to have created tension among some APC stakeholders, particularly those with political ambitions ahead of the 2027 elections.
Sources said many party loyalists fear that if the governor moves to the APC with PDP lawmakers and appointees, it could narrow their chances of securing tickets in the next election.
Efforts to reach Kefas’ aides — Emmanuel Bello (Special Adviser on Media and Digital Communications) and Josiah Kente (Special Adviser on Political Matters) — were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report. But PDP state chairman Alhaji Abubakar Bawa dismissed the speculation, describing the rally as an APC affair. He declined, however, to comment on the committee’s activities.
Kefas’ reported move comes as Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah formally defected to the APC on Tuesday, taking along most PDP political office holders and structures in the state, a development that strengthens APC’s foothold in the South East and weakens the PDP in its otherwise stronghold. Akwa Ibom State governor, Umo Eno and Delta State governor, Sheriff Oborevwori made similar switch earlier in the year.
Like Delta State, Enugu, before this defection had been a stronghold of the PDP with the party producing all its governors since the return to democratic governance in 1999.
Speculation is also rife that Bayelsa Governor Douye Diri and Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal may follow suit. Although Lawal has publicly denied such plans, sources close to him say the option remains on the table and has not been completely ruled out.
