With or Without Defection Rally, Gov Kefas Now Member Of APC

•• Ends 26-Year PDP Reign in Taraba

 

Taraba State has entered a new political era, and no postponed rally can alter the reality already unfolding across the state. Despite suspending his public declaration, Governor Agbu Kefas is now effectively a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), taking charge of the party's full structure and influence in Taraba. Top APC insiders told Taraba Truth and Facts that the governor is already being recognized as the party's leader in the state and is expected to attend the next APC Governors' Forum meeting, a development they say "confirms his new political home, rally or no rally."

 

Governor Kefas had earlier on Monday announced the indefinite suspension of his planned defection ceremony in response to the tragic abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi State. In a statement personally signed by him, the governor said it would be insensitive to proceed with any political celebration at a time the nation was grappling with yet another disturbing episode of insecurity. "In light of the kidnapping of innocent schoolgirls in Kebbi State, I have taken the solemn decision to postpone my scheduled declaration and movement to the All Progressives Congress," he said, adding that his administration's priorities remain the protection of the vulnerable, improved security, and the strengthening of education.

 

While the rally has been put on hold, Taraba's political landscape shifted with dramatic force as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), dominant in the state for 26 years, suffered a sweeping collapse. From early morning, resignation letters began flooding party secretariats, council offices and government buildings, signalling a coordinated movement out of the PDP. By midday, the situation had become unmistakable: the PDP had been emptied of its major players across all levels of governance.

 

The first major blow came from the Taraba State House of Assembly, where all sixteen PDP lawmakers resigned from the party in quick succession. Shortly afterward, all sixteen local government chairmen, led by ALGON chairman Dr. Aminu Jauro Hassan, issued a collective statement announcing their exit from the PDP and declaring their alignment with Governor Kefas. "Our decision is aimed at aligning fully with the governor's political direction and strengthening support for his Moving Forward Agenda," their statement said.

 

The collapse intensified as the PDP State Chairman, Alhaji Bawa Abubakar, and the entire State Executive Committee resigned en masse, a development political analysts described as evidence that the party had lost its structure completely. By evening, commissioners, special advisers, senior appointees and political aides—many of whom had built their careers under the PDP—announced that they too were moving to the APC.

 

Government sources told Taraba Truth and Facts that internal grievances within the national PDP contributed significantly to the exodus. One senior official, who requested anonymity, said remaining in the party would "only frustrate our political dreams," stressing that the national leadership had failed to resolve long-standing internal tensions. The Commissioner for Information and Re-Orientation, Barrister Zainabu Usman Jalingo, later confirmed that the entire State Executive Council had formally joined the APC, describing the realignment as "a united move in the interest of Taraba's progress."

 

Governor Kefas had earlier explained that his decision to leave the PDP was driven by a broader vision for the state's future and not personal political ambition. "On the 19th of November, I will officially transition from the PDP to the APC. This movement is about the destiny of the people of Taraba," he had said before the postponement. "My speech at the event will clarify the circumstances and allow residents to judge for themselves."