16 Taraba Lawmakers Quit PDP for APC Ahead of Governor’s Expected Defection

Just a day before Governor Agbu Kefas is expected to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC), all sixteen PDP members of the Taraba State House of Assembly have officially resigned from the party and joined the ruling APC.

The announcement came during Monday’s plenary session when Speaker John Kizito Bonzina read the resignation letters submitted by the lawmakers, each citing their decision to defect.

The Speaker explained that the defections are permitted under Section 109 of the Constitution, which allows lawmakers to switch parties in cases of internal party division.

In their letters, the lawmakers pointed to a prolonged leadership crisis at the national level of the PDP, describing the party as split into two rival factions, creating confusion and making continued membership unsustainable.

Speaking after the plenary, the defectors said the internal strife that once strengthened the PDP had now weakened it, leaving them with no choice but to join the APC after consulting their constituents.

Jethro Yakubu of Wukari I explained that his move was necessary to prevent the crisis in the PDP from “expunging the party from the country.” Musa Chul of Gassol I and Nelson Len of Nguroje shared similar sentiments, noting that remaining in the PDP would threaten their political futures.

The mass defection significantly alters Taraba’s political landscape. With these moves, the 24-member State House of Assembly is now entirely composed of APC lawmakers, just as the state prepares for Governor Kefas’s anticipated switch.

Former Speaker Abel Peter Diah, an APC veteran representing Mbamnga constituency, praised the defectors for aligning with the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and suggested the state would benefit from stronger ties with the federal government.

However, former Senate leader Ali Ndume expressed concern over the wave of defections to the APC, warning that the party risks internal collapse if the trend continues. He criticized many defectors as political “lightweights” who contribute little to the party, describing the APC as becoming “overloaded” with “mostly empty cargo.”