Taraba APC, Others To Meet Over Kefas’ Defection

The State Working Committee (SWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba State has announced that it will meet with key party stakeholders on Tuesday to discuss and agree on a date to formally receive Governor Agbu Kefas to the party.

The state chairman of the APC, Barrister Ibrahim El-Sudi, confirmed the development in an interview with LEADERSHIP Sunday in Jalingo.

He described the governor’s planned defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as “a divine breakthrough” that fulfills the APC’s 13-year quest to control the Taraba Government House.

“We have been yearning for this for 13 years. God has finally given us Taraba Government House without going to the polls,” Mr El-Sudi said.

He said, preparations are ongoing for a grand reception ceremony in Jalingo that would be attended by President Bola Tinubu, members of the APC National Working Committee, and key stakeholders from across the North-East.

El-Sudi disclosed that Governor Kefas had already held discussions with top APC leaders in Abuja before reaching his decision to defect.

“He has met those who matter from the president to the national chairman. He was advised to engage with the APC structure in Taraba, and we are ready to welcome him,” the chairman said.

He expressed confidence that, the governor’s defection would strengthen collaboration between the Taraba State Government and the federal government, leading to faster development in the state.

Mr El-Sudi also assured long-serving APC members that they would not be sidelined, adding that the party remains open to internal competition.

“As a democratic party, our doors are open. Anyone who wishes to contest for the governorship under the APC platform is free to do so,” he added.

Governor Kefas’s defection has been widely anticipated in political circles and is expected to reshape the political landscape in Taraba, a stronghold of the PDP since 1999.

Mr El-Sudi, a veteran Taraba politician and grassroots mobiliser, was previously a member of the PDP, where he served as commissioner and secretary to the state government (SSG), before joining the APC in 2015.

Since then, he has twice chaired the party in the state, overseeing its expansion across all 16 local government areas.

If the governor is formally received into the APC, it would mark one of the most significant political realignments in Taraba’s recent history.

Analysts say the development could boost the APC’s strength in the North-East while also testing its internal cohesion as new and old members navigate the evolving political landscape.

LEADERSHIP Sunday learnt that Governor Kefas and a few other PDP members loyal to him are also expected at the expanded meeting.