Plateau PDP regroups as Mutfwang’s APC switch disrupts state politics

Since the defection of Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) last month, the political atmosphere in the state has been anything but calm.

The governor’s move has triggered realignments, quiet anxieties and renewed calculations across party lines, with both the ruling APC and the opposition PDP struggling, in different ways, to come to terms with the implications.

Initially, it was within the APC that unease was most visible. Party actors on the ground grappled with the reality that the governor had indeed crossed over, despite earlier resistance rooted in internal power tussles and fears about leadership dominance. Those tensions, political observers say, have merely been suppressed, not resolved. While the APC appears calm for now, many describe the situation as an uneasy truce likely to unravel when competing interests inevitably clash.

The coming together of Mutfwang and the APC leadership is often described in political talks in the state as a classic case of strange bedfellows. For many, the real test will come when tickets, appointments and influence are up for negotiation.

Since the beginning of the year, however, the focus has shifted to the PDP, where the shock of the governor’s defection continues to reverberate. For a party that only recently celebrated a dramatic return to power in the state, the loss has been deeply unsettling.

Plateau State has long seen itself as a PDP stronghold, tracing its political identity to the late Chief Solomon Lar, the party’s pioneer national chairman. After internal disagreements over zoning cost the PDP the state in 2015, paving the way for former Governor Simon Lalong’s two-term APC administration, the party staged a comeback in 2023 with Mutfwang’s election. That victory was widely seen as a restoration of Plateau’s political tradition.

Against that backdrop, Mutfwang’s sudden defection has been received as both a political and emotional blow. The development has dominated conversations across the state, from commercial buses and markets to restaurants and informal meeting points, underscoring the depth of public interest and concern.

Jang, party elders and the battle for PDP’s soul

Inside the PDP, leaders and members have responded with a flurry of meetings, consultations and strategy sessions aimed at steadying the party and preventing further erosion. The most significant of these was a stakeholders’ engagement held last Friday at the party’s state headquarters in Jos.

According to the PDP’s Publicity Secretary, Felix Choji, the meeting was convened to ensure “a comprehensive and collaborative approach” to redefining the party’s direction in the wake of the crisis. The engagement was conducted in phases, beginning with a meeting of all local government area (LGA) party chairmen, followed by a session involving members of the Board of Trustees (BoT) and other senior stakeholders.

Among those in attendance was former Governor Jonah Jang, who governed Plateau State between 2007 and 2015 and remains one of the most influential figures in the party. Jang, a founding member of the PDP and long-time leader of the party in the state, is also widely regarded as Mutfwang’s political benefactor.

Other notable attendees included Ambassador Bagudu Hirse, a former high commissioner to Namibia; Professor Jemkur Ganyir Lombin, a respected academic and public administrator; former Minister of Environment Sarah Ochekpe; and several former lawmakers and party chieftains.

During the first phase of the engagement, LGA chairmen reaffirmed their loyalty to the PDP, pledging to strengthen the party’s grassroots structures ahead of the expected ramp-up in political activities in 2026. They emphasised resilience and internal cohesion as key to rebuilding momentum.

At the end of the deliberations, the party announced a set of resolutions aimed at repositioning itself. These included a commitment to a high-level reconciliation drive to address internal grievances, the introduction of a comprehensive internal communication strategy, and measures to enhance leadership accountability through regular reporting to party organs. The party also pledged affirmative action to ensure greater participation of women, youths and other marginalised groups in its structures, alongside a clear implementation plan with timelines and assigned responsibilities.

However, it was Jang’s intervention that set the tone for the meeting and signalled the ideological direction the party intends to take. In a lengthy address, he framed the governor’s defection within a broader national concern about what he described as the drift towards a one-party state driven by a wave of defections.

Jang argued that the PDP remains Nigeria’s only surviving “organic” political party, having never merged with another since its formation in 1998. He said the party’s resilience and institutional depth would enable it to weather its current challenges.

“PDP is the only party that has never merged with another party. Other parties are temporary arrangements, makeshifts that come and go.”

Jang also took aim at Nigeria’s culture of cross-carpeting, describing it as incompatible with presidential democracy. He argued that elected officials who defect should relinquish their mandates and seek fresh elections under their new parties.

“When you contest an election, it is the party’s name that appears on the ballot, not an individual’s name,” he said. “Political parties contest elections, not individuals.”

On Mutfwang’s defection, Jang said he felt deep sadness but maintained that the governor remained in office on a mandate given by the PDP. He described the episode as unprecedented in Plateau politics, revealing that some party members and appointees had openly wept upon hearing the news.

Party loyalists play down defection, insist structures remain intact

Ambassador Hirse, in his remarks, sought to downplay fears that the PDP was on the brink of collapse, arguing that internal crises were not unique to the party. He suggested that the APC, currently enjoying dominance, had yet to face its own moment of reckoning, insisting that Plateau remained a traditional PDP stronghold.

Another key voice was Kefas Ropshik Kefiano, a PDP chieftain who came second to Mutfwang in the party’s 2023 governorship primary. Kefiano dismissed claims that the governor’s defection had fatally weakened the party, describing the episode as driven largely by personal interests rather than ideology.

According to him, many of those who defected alongside the governor were political appointees motivated by access to power. He said the turnout at the stakeholders’ meeting demonstrated that the PDP’s ward and local government structures remained intact.

Kefiano also announced his intention to contest the Plateau Central senatorial seat on the PDP platform, rejecting speculation that internal party crises would deter credible candidates.

Former state PDP chairman Chris Hassan echoed similar sentiments, insisting that the party remained the most organised political force in Plateau State. He argued that the PDP’s deep roots and ideological appeal continued to shape political behaviour in the state, even influencing outcomes beyond party lines.

He cited the 2023 elections, when Plateau voters overwhelmingly supported Labour Party candidate Peter Obi for president while voting PDP for governor, as evidence of the electorate’s independence and the PDP’s enduring relevance.

Analyst warns against complacency, emotional reaction

Political analysts, however, caution against complacency. Professor Adeyi Major of the University of Jos warned that while Plateau PDP’s local strength is significant, the party cannot afford to ignore national dynamics and legal realities.

“Anybody who loves democracy will sympathize with the PDP in the country and in Plateau State with all the struggle Solomon Lar made when he championed the return of democracy, but today it is having deepening crises. What is important for them to do is that they should get back to the drawing board, and not blame-game,” he said.

He urged the party to eschew emotional reactions and focus on clarifying its status with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), warning that failure to do so could undermine its prospects in 2027.

“If they rebuild carefully and in line with the law, those who have wandered to other parties may return,” Major said. “But if they ignore the legal framework, people may end up wasting their votes.”

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