Defection: Tinubu Already Handed Me Over To APC National Chair, Says Governor Kefas

President Bola Tinubu has formally handed over Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State to the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, for proper initiation into the party.

Governor Kefas, who revealed this on Thursday, in a meeting with APC youths and some stakeholders of the party at the T.Y. Danjuma House in Abuja, said the President has already acknowledged his intention and has received his letter of approval to defect from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to APC.

The governor said President Tinubu had formally handed him over to Yilwatda, adding that preparations were in top gear for his official unveiling as a new member of APC in Taraba State.

Comrade Abubakar Gembo, who spoke after the meeting, said the youths had expressed readiness to receive the governor into the party, and described his planned defection as a “boost” for the APC in the state.

“Governor Kefas called us to inform us of his readiness to join our great party, the APC. He told us he had met with President Tinubu, who received him and handed him over to the national chairman,” Gembo said.

According to him, the governor assured the youths of inclusiveness in his administration, a commitment he said had been demonstrated even during his time in the PDP.

Idris Ayuba, the chairman of the APC Youth Vanguard, Taraba State chapter, confirmed that the governor’s defection had been “perfected” at the national level and was only awaiting formal reception by stakeholders at the ward, local government, and state levels.

Ayuba urged APC members and youths in the state to support Kefas, describing him as a youth-friendly leader whose policies have consistently focused on empowerment and inclusion.

The Taraba State APC Youth Vanguard’s Publicity Secretary, Rikwense Muri, in a statement issued on Thursday, also confirmed the development.

Muri said the governor met with key youth leaders and influencers within the APC to discuss building a united political front for the accelerated transformation of Taraba State through stronger collaboration with the federal government.

“Speaking during the meeting, Governor Kefas said Taraba could no longer afford to remain isolated from the mainstream of national politics.

“He explained that his decision to realign politically was driven by the higher goal of ensuring greater development, improved security, and increased federal presence in the state.

‘’I am guided by the need to put Taraba first,’ the governor was quoted as saying. ‘Our state must take its rightful place in national development, and that can only happen when we work hand in hand with the centre’,” he stated.

The APC youth stakeholders commended the governor for his foresight, courage, and readiness to prioritise the collective interest of Tarabians above partisan considerations.

Kefas was elected governor in 2023 on the platform of the PDP, the party that has governed Taraba since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.