Less than 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 formally resigned from the party and joined the APC.
The mass defection was announced during Monday’s plenary session by Speaker John Kizito Bonzina, who read the resignation letters submitted by the lawmakers.
Each letter cited the protracted leadership crisis within the PDP at the national level, describing the existence of rival factions that have thrown the party into confusion, making continued membership untenable.
The defections are in line with Section 109 of the Constitution, which allows legislators to switch parties in the event of internal party divisions.
Speaking after the session, some of the defectors explained that their decisions were informed by consultations with their constituents.
Jethro Yakubu of Wukari I noted that the ongoing PDP crisis “has the potential to expunge the party from the country.”
Musa Chul of Gassol I and Nelson Len of Nguroje constituency also stressed that staying in the PDP could jeopardize their political futures.
With these defections, APC now holds all 24 seats in the Taraba State House of Assembly, marking a dramatic shift in the state’s political landscape ahead of Governor Kefas’s anticipated move.
Former Speaker Abel Peter Diah, a senior APC member, commended the defectors for aligning with the vision of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, suggesting the state would benefit from closer ties with the federal government.
Meanwhile, former Senate leader Ali Ndume warned that the continued influx of governors and lawmakers from opposition parties to APC could destabilize the ruling party.
He described many of the newcomers as “political lightweights” and cautioned that the party risks becoming overloaded with “mostly empty cargo” if the trend persists.
