By Obinna Uballa
A major political realignment is underway as Taraba State Governor, Agbu Kefas, appears set to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), following in the footsteps of Enugu Governor Peter Mbah, who formally joined the APC on Tuesday.
The planned defection, which has sparked intense debate within political circles, is seen as part of a broader wave of PDP governors crossing over to the ruling party, a trend analysts say could reshape Nigeria’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to sources who spoke to Daily Trust Newspaper, Governor Kefas has already constituted a committee co-chaired by former Senator Dahiru Bako to consult stakeholders and gauge public opinion before making his move.
Bako confirmed the consultations, saying, “The governor will not make any political move without hearing from the people and carrying them along.”
Meanwhile, the APC in Taraba has declared readiness to receive the governor, even as youth groups in Jalingo staged rallies urging him to defect. However, insiders say the move has unsettled some APC stalwarts who fear the governor’s entry could alter existing political structures and threaten their 2027 ambitions.
Efforts to reach Kefas’ aides – Emmanuel Bello and Josiah Kente – were unsuccessful, while PDP state chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Bawa, dismissed the reports, describing the rallies as “an APC affair.”
Kefas’ possible defection comes just days after Governor Mbah of Enugu dumped the PDP for the APC, taking with him most political structures in the state. Similar defections by Delta’s Sheriff Oborevwori and Akwa Ibom’s Umo Eno earlier this year have further weakened the PDP’s traditional southern base.
Now, speculation is rife that Bayelsa’s Douye Diri and Zamfara’s Dauda Lawal could follow suit. Although Lawal has denied such plans, sources say the option “remains on the table.”
For Governor Diri, the only second-term PDP governor reportedly weighing defection, internal power tussles in Bayelsa and Wike’s growing influence have made the APC an increasingly appealing refuge.
Observers see this southern wave of defections as a calculated strategy by President Bola Tinubu to consolidate his political dominance across the country ahead of 2027. With three of five South East states and four of six South South states now under APC control, the ruling party is inching closer to near-total dominance.
Wabara, ADC Warn of One-Party State
Former Senate President and PDP Board of Trustees Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara, said the defections vindicate his earlier warning that the APC is working to turn Nigeria into a one-party state, a charge the presidency has repeatedly denied.
“This is not democracy as we know it. What the APC is building is autocracy,” Wabara said, describing the defections as products of “intimidation, fear, and greed.”
Similarly, African Democratic Congress (ADC) spokesman, Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the APC of “coercing and luring opposition governors,” saying the ruling party’s ambition “is to kill political pluralism in Nigeria.”
