APC woos Mutfwang, begins consultations

Stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress in the North Central have begun consultations to woo Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State from the Peoples Democratic Party.

According to the zonal members, the move to win over people of like minds as the governor was necessary if the APC hoped to reclaim Plateau State.

This was disclosed in a letter addressed to the APC National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Bashiru, a copy of which was made available to The PUNCH on Monday.

The letter, signed by the Chairman of North Central APC Forum, Salleh Zazzaga, was submitted at the national secretariat by the Nasarawa State Chairman, Sani Jigas.

The letter read, “It is pertinent to formally notify you of our invitation to Governor Caleb Mutfwang to join the APC. A formal letter to this effect will also be delivered to him, Plateau State APC, and his ward in the Mangu local government area.

“We have had several consultations and met with many chieftains of our party from Plateau State and the North Central region, in general, to work out modalities on reaching out to the governor. Mutfwang is the only governor from the North Central who is not of the APC, and it is necessary to bring him on board so that he can be on the same page with his other counterparts in the North Central

“Mr Secretary, the call for Mutfwang to join the APC has become necessary after reviewing the state of our party in the North Central region, the position of Plateau State governor, which is vital in the political equation and calculation of the APC in the region, and the nation by extension.

“This will also enable the APC to reclaim Plateau State, which we lost to the PDP in the 2023 election after being in charge since 2015. Otherwise, the PDP could take undue advantage of its success over our party and spread its tentacles to other states. Again, Mutfwang has been having a tremendous working relationship with our leader, President Bola Tinubu, and it is vital to capitalize on this to bring him to the party.”

Continuing, Zazzaga raised a concern that the APC leaders in Plateau are no longer proactive and have since recoiled into their shells following the Supreme Court judgment that reaffirmed Mutfwang’s election victory.

“It is bad enough that APC leaders from Plateau State had to go and meet in Lafia, Nasarawa State, for a reconciliatory engagement and planning to reposition the party for greater successes ahead of the 2027 general election. That is an absolute sign that the party is not on the ground in Plateau.

“By and large, our quest to push for the success of our party in the North Central region and in the nation at large cannot be overemphasized, and we are often poised to double our untiring efforts at all times. Do accept the assurances of our highest esteemed regards,” he stated.

The move to woo Muftwang from the PDP is coming three months after the same chieftains of the ruling party from North Central backed the suspension of the National Chairman of the party, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, and demanded that the seat of the leadership, which Abdullahi Adamu previously occupied, be returned to their zone.

Their agitation came in the wake of a fresh suspension slammed on the embattled national chairman by a faction of the Ganduje Ward in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area of Kano State.