Governor Mutfwang
By A CORRESPONDENT
The Plateau State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has become sharply divided and some leading elements becoming suspicious of one another over how to approach the prospects of a possible defection of Governor Caleb Mutfwang.
News sources say that at a top level stakeholders meeting in Jos on Friday the prospect of Governor Mutfwang joining the party raised a commotion with influential leaders of the party shooting down the proposal. However, party sources say that beyond the assertion of party leaders who do not want Mutfwang in the party because of their interest in the governorship position, some in the lower rungs of the party are pushing forward the proposal of wooing the governor.
Those who want the governor to join the party it was learned are those who believe that there is no way that the APC can find a candidate to defeat Governor Mutfwang whether even if he moves to another party because of the crisis in the PDP at the national level.
Reliable sources disclosed that a recent APC stakeholders’ meeting in Jos nearly turned into a shouting match after a motion was tabled urging the party to intensify efforts to woo Governor Mutfwang. Although the motion initially met stiff resistance, intense backdoor lobbying later swayed a few members to its side.
However, a faction of influential APC members reportedly warned that if the governor were to cross over, he would instantly become the undisputed leader of the APC in the State, an outcome they fear could sweep away their current influence and privileges like a flood on the Plateau plains. As one source put it, “You don’t invite a lion into your house and expect to remain king of the jungle.”
Mutfwang Stands Firm
Interestingly, just a day before the APC parley, Governor Mutfwang convened a PDP stakeholders’ session in Jos, where he reaffirmed his unflinching loyalty to the party and dismissed rumors of any planned defection as mere political gossip. He reiterated that his eyes remain fixed on the task of delivering good governance and deepening the PDP’s grassroots presence across the state.
Political analysts believe that the situation within the Plateau APC mirrors a house divided against itself. They argue that the party’s inability to regain public trust since the 2023 elections has left it vulnerable, despite the national chairman hailing from the state.
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