President Bola Tinubu said Saturday that governors under the All Progressives Congress remain the leaders of the party in their respective states.
Tinubu made the declaration at the official reception of Gov. Agbu Kefas into the APC in Jalingo, Taraba State. Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Tinubu announced that Kefas had assumed leadership of the party in Taraba by virtue of his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party.
The president expressed his commitment to supporting Kefas and his cabinet in bringing development to Taraba. He praised the governor’s efforts to unify the state and harmonize its diverse communities, urging residents to rally behind him.
Tinubu also welcomed the defection as a boost for the APC in the North East geopolitical zone and called on leaders in Adamawa and Bauchi to join the ruling party.
Earlier, APC National Chairman Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda commended Kefas for leaving what he described as a “sinking PDP,” calling the defection a major achievement that would enhance the state’s economy and empower youth and women. He urged the governor to ensure unity within the party and provide equal opportunities to all members.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, represented by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibril, congratulated the governor and the people of Taraba, saying the defection would boost development, improve infrastructure, and strengthen security.
Gov. Kefas said his decision to join the APC was for the benefit of the people, not personal interests. “The move is to bring jobs for the jobless and business for entrepreneurs. To serve the state and be committed to the people through discipline and patriotism,” he said, presenting a broom symbolically to sweep away division, poverty, tribalism, and insecurity.
Kefas won the 2023 governorship election under the PDP but officially decamped to the APC in 2025, obtaining his membership registration card.
