Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is on the verge of another major political coup, as Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, is reportedly preparing to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC, a move that could further tilt the nation’s power balance ahead of the 2027 general election.
Governor Kefas’s planned defection, which follows Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah’s formal switch to the ruling party on Tuesday, has sent ripples through the PDP’s northern base and deepened fears of a rapid opposition collapse.
According to sources familiar with ongoing consultations, Kefas has set up a committee led by former Senator Dahiru Bako to engage key stakeholders across the state before making a formal announcement. The governor’s aides have remained tight-lipped, but political rallies and billboards urging him to “join the progressives” have appeared in parts of Jalingo and Wukari.
Senator Bako confirmed the consultations, saying, “The governor values the people’s opinion. He won’t take any step without wide consultations.”
Tension in Taraba APC Ranks
While the APC in Taraba has openly welcomed the prospect of Kefas joining, party insiders say the move has sparked unease among existing members, many of whom fear losing influence and electoral chances if the governor enters with his PDP structure intact.
“The truth is that Kefas coming into APC will change everything,” said an APC chieftain in Jalingo. “Those who have been working for years in the party fear being displaced.”
Meanwhile, the PDP’s state chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Bawa, dismissed the reports, describing the pro-defection rallies as “an APC drama,” though he declined to comment on the committee’s activities.
South’s PDP Strongholds Collapse One by One
Kefas’s anticipated defection comes as another major blow to the PDP, which in the last year has lost several governors to the ruling APC. After Akwa Ibom’s Umo Eno and Delta’s Sheriff Oborevwori switched allegiance earlier in the year, Enugu’s Peter Mbah became the latest to cross over this week, taking with him the entire PDP machinery in the state.
With Enugu gone, the PDP’s dominance in the South East and South South is crumbling fast. Political watchers say the next possible losses could be Bayelsa and Zamfara, where Governors Douye Diri and Dauda Lawal are reportedly under pressure to defect, despite public denials.
President Bola Tinubu’s strategic outreach has also gained traction in the South, with former PDP strongholds gradually warming to the APC. The ruling party now controls three of five South East states — Imo, Ebonyi and Enugu - and four of six South South states, while Bayelsa and Rivers remain the last PDP bastions.
In Rivers, however, FCT Minister Nyesom Wike’s alliance with Tinubu has left Governor Siminalayi Fubara politically isolated. Analysts say the president’s expanding southern coalition could leave the PDP with little footing ahead of the next polls.
If Kefas joins the APC, it will mark the first major defection by a northern opposition governor since Tinubu assumed power — a symbolic milestone that could open the floodgates for others.
Wabara: Nigeria Sliding into One-Party State
Reacting to the wave of defections, PDP Board of Trustees Chairman and former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, accused the APC of deliberately dismantling Nigeria’s democracy.
“What we are witnessing is a slow-motion coup against multiparty democracy,” Wabara said. “The APC is using inducement and intimidation to coerce opposition figures into submission.”
He said the defections are “not driven by ideology but by fear,” adding that “a one-party state is the death of democracy.”
Similarly, African Democratic Congress (ADC) spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the APC’s game plan is to dominate the political space completely.
“Governors are defecting out of greed and fear, not conviction,” Abdullahi said. “The APC’s agenda is clear — to erase the opposition and monopolize power.”
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