I faced a lot of pressure to join APC

From Jude Owuamanam, Jos

The Governor of Plateau State, Caleb Mutfwang, has said that a lot of pressure was mounted on him to leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and join the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He added that only God and the people of Plateau State can decide his political future.

Speaking while hosting the newly elected members of the state executive committee of the PDP at Government House, Mutfwang said it is foolhardy for anyone to pass a resolution barring him from joining the APC. Mutfwang, who was alluding to a motion passed at the stakeholders’ meeting of the APC that precluded him from joining the APC, said it is preposterous to bar him from something he did not seek.

He said: “And they also put pressure on me. But I told them, only two people will authorise me to change party. One is the God of Heaven. The other is you people. Have you asked me to go anywhere? Have you asked me to go anywhere?” he asked the people, and they chorused, “Noooooo.”

He added: “So those who are rejecting me for what I did not look for, you know they are doing a useless exercise there. And they are only hiding their desire. They are only hiding their desire. The truth is that 60-70% of the people will be glad to have us in their party. It’s just that they are fighting their freedom. That’s why they are angry and trying to twist it.”

However, in a statement in Jos on Monday, October 27, 2025, the APC accused Mutfwang of living in self-denial and being economical with the truth. In the statement signed by the Acting Publicity Secretary, Shittu Bamaiyi, the party said if Mutfwang had performed creditably, all the fuss about his joining the APC would not have arisen.

The statement said: “Unarguably, if Governor Caleb Mutfwang had performed to the satisfaction of the people of Plateau State, the hullabaloo about jumping ship could not have arisen in the first place. Again, if the Governor was an asset rather than excess baggage, the narrative could have been ‘welcome our beloved leader in whom we are pleased.’ Unfortunately, the narrative in town presently is, ‘those against Governor Mutfwang joining the APC, should say aye; those against, say nay.’

“In this connection, when Governor Mutfwang, over the weekend, alleged that pressure is mounted on him to join the APC, it became crystal clear that something must have happened ‘on the way to Damascus.’ It’s either the Governor is economical with the truth or the naysayers are trying to be proactive in forestalling such a move.

“Governor Mutfwang, if he meant well for his supporters and the entire state, could have courageously told those who cared to listen—who was pressurising him and why—but unfortunately, for whatever reason, chose not to do so. Whatever may be the case, it is a big minus on the part of a sitting Governor, for an opposition to vehemently object to his joining its fold, when that party’s ultimate goal is to comfortably win the forthcoming elections.

“As a matter of fact, the continued anger and the media campaign exhibited against the APC’s leadership go to show the level of desperation and frustration faced by the Governor as well as his followers in this connection. There is no gainsaying the fact that, if the Governor and his supporters were not that desperate, the most honourable thing to do is to call the bluff of the opposition and move on.”