APC Leaders Clash Over Governor’s Potential Party Switch

The North‑Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has asserted that the party’s national chairman, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, has no authority to block Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State from joining the APC. The Forum has been actively campaigning for Mutfwang to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC, despite opposition from Plateau APC leaders.

On 17 October 2025, a stakeholders’ meeting convened by Plateau APC leaders endorsed a motion opposing Mutfwang’s possible defection. The North‑Central APC Forum alleges that Yilwatda is behind efforts to stop Mutfwang from joining the party, citing Yilwatda’s intention to contest the governorship again in 2027. Yilwatda was the APC’s governorship candidate in Plateau in the 2023 election, losing to Mutfwang of the PDP.

In a statement signed by Chairman Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, the North‑Central APC Forum described Yilwatda’s actions as a disgrace to himself, the party, and the people of Plateau State. The statement emphasized that only Mutfwang’s ward in the Mangu area has the power to admit the governor into the party, and that Yilwatda’s role as national chairman does not extend to admitting new members. According to the Forum, his attempts to block Mutfwang violate the APC constitution.

The Forum suggested that Mutfwang has not yet joined the APC because he is still consulting, not because of Yilwatda’s opposition. It noted that the people of Plateau State already support the governor and will back any decision he makes. The Forum urged the party’s chapter in Mutfwang’s Mangu Ward to publicly invite the governor to join the APC, stressing that alleged intimidation by Yilwatda cannot prevent their push for his admission.

This development highlights an ongoing power struggle within the APC. The North‑Central Forum calls on Yilwatda to respect the party’s constitution and allow Mutfwang to decide freely whether to join the party. As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen whether Mutfwang will ultimately defect to the APC and what implications this may have for the party’s leadership and future elections in Plateau State.