JOS, Nigeria — Caleb Mutfwang, the governor of Plateau State in north-central Nigeria, is in the final stages of plans to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party to the ruling All Progressives Congress, according to multiple sources familiar with the discussions.
People within his political circle said the move is expected to be completed before the end of January 2026, following weeks of quiet consultations and realignments at both state and national levels.
Mutfwang was elected in 2023 on the platform of the PDP, a party that has since become deeply factionalised and is now facing what many party insiders describe as its most severe internal crisis to date.
The turmoil has triggered a wave of defections across several states, steadily shrinking the opposition’s political footprint.
According to sources in the governor’s camp, Mutfwang has already made up his mind to leave the PDP.
The same sources said President Bola Tinubu recently met with the Plateau governor and gave his endorsement to the planned move to the APC, providing high-level backing for the defection.
However, the development is not without internal resistance.
Some members of the Plateau chapter of the APC, particularly those who previously defected from the PDP, are said to be opposed to Mutfwang’s entry into the party.
A number of them have reportedly threatened to return to the PDP if the governor is admitted into the ruling party without a negotiated settlement of internal grievances.
In response to the growing tension, the national chairman of the APC, Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, who is also from Plateau State, has been holding a series of meetings with aggrieved stakeholders in an effort to clear the path for Mutfwang’s arrival and prevent a backlash that could fracture the party’s local structure.
The prospect of Mutfwang’s defection has been in public view for months.
During an event at the banquet hall of the Government House in Jos in October 2025, the governor acknowledged that he was under pressure from political figures to abandon the PDP for the APC.
At the time, he struck a cautious tone.
“But I told them that only two people can authorise me to change my party — one is the God of heaven, and the other is you, the people. Have you asked me to go anywhere?” he asked the audience.
The crowd responded with a loud “No”, a moment that briefly appeared to dampen speculation about his political future.
Developments in recent weeks, however, suggest that the calculations may have shifted.
Mutfwang’s expected defection follows a string of high-profile movements that have weakened the PDP across the country.
On Tuesday, December 9, 2025, Ademola Adeleke, the governor of Osun State, formally joined the Accord Party after resigning his PDP membership and citing crisis within the party’s national leadership.
In November, Agbu Kefas, the governor of Taraba State, was also expected to formally join the APC, but a planned reception was postponed due to a spate of killings and abductions in the state.
Earlier this week, Siminalayi Fubara of Rivers State defected to the APC, pushing the ruling party’s control of state governments to 26.
If Mutfwang completes his switch, Plateau would further tighten the APC’s grip on the country’s political map.
As of now, the states not under APC control are Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Bauchi, Kano, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Taraba and Zamfara.
