Secret Power Play Revealed: ‘Directive From Above’ Behind Move To Woo Muftwang Into APC

The North-Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has revealed that its campaign for Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC is based on a “directive from above.”

Despite ongoing efforts by the Forum to woo Governor Mutfwang, resistance has emerged from several APC leaders within Plateau State. These leaders fear that his defection could automatically hand him control of the party’s structure and the 2027 governorship ticket.

Tensions escalated after the Forum adopted the Green Cap Movement—symbolically linked to Mutfwang—for the 2027 gubernatorial race. While the Forum defended this move as a strategy to align with the governor and bring him into the APC fold, some party stalwarts in the state criticized it as an anti-party activity and have demanded disciplinary actions.

In particular, calls have been made for the suspension of Alhaji Saleh Zazzaga, chairman of the North-Central APC Forum. Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, the APC’s 2023 gubernatorial candidate and Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, has questioned Zazzaga’s loyalty and membership in the party.

Responding in a statement issued Saturday in Abuja, Zazzaga insisted that the campaign to bring Mutfwang into the APC is backed by the party’s national leadership. He cautioned state-level party leaders against sabotaging efforts to welcome influential opposition politicians, warning that such actions constitute the real anti-party activities.

“Those resisting our efforts to bring Governor Mutfwang into the APC are hindering the party’s progress. Our initiative is not personal—it is in line with a directive from the top,” the statement read.

Zazzaga emphasized that the APC is a party of collective ownership, not of a select few, and argued that Mutfwang, whom he described as a “progressive,” would be a valuable addition. He urged all APC stakeholders in Plateau and the North-Central region to support the movement.

The Forum highlighted that other governors—including Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State and Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State—have recently defected to the APC, and Plateau should not be left behind. It argued that a unified North-Central APC would foster regional development, especially following the creation of the North-Central Development Commission by President Bola Tinubu.

According to the Forum, Governor Mutfwang already enjoys a cordial relationship with President Tinubu and APC leaders, noting his participation in this year’s Sallah celebration in Lagos with the President.

Reiterating its call for unity, the Forum urged the Plateau APC Executive Committee to cooperate with the state government and abandon actions that could divide the party.

“Efforts to suspend our chairman are not only misguided but also detrimental to party unity. Calling on a sitting governor to join the APC is not anti-party—it is strategic and beneficial. Those pushing a divisive agenda should reconsider before they harm the party’s future,” the Forum concluded.