The All Progressives Congress has announced the defection of Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang from the Peoples Democratic Party, marking another major shift in Nigeria’s political landscape.
The announcement was made by the APC National Chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, during his opening address at the party’s national caucus meeting.
Yilwatda, who hails from Plateau State, said the governor’s defection meant that the entire North Central region was now under the control of the APC. Mutfwang was elected governor on the platform of the PDP during the 2023 general elections and is the latest prominent figure to exit the main opposition party.
The APC chairman described the development as part of the party’s ongoing expansion and consolidation efforts across the country. He said the party was positioning itself to strengthen internal structures and accommodate both long-standing members and new entrants.
As part of this drive, Yilwatda announced that the APC had set January 30, 2026, as the deadline for all party members to complete their electronic membership registration. He explained that the digital registration system, which has already been activated, is designed to improve transparency, strengthen data integrity, and deepen internal democracy within the party.
According to him, training has already been carried out at the state, zonal and local government levels in most states to ensure a smooth rollout of the exercise nationwide.
“We’ve done training at the state level, we’ve done a zonal level, we’ve done a local government in most of the states. And I want to urge our stakeholders to support the nationwide rollout of this noble activity,” he said.
He further assured new members that they enjoy the same rights and privileges as existing party members, encouraging them to take advantage of the registration process to formally enlist their supporters.
“Let us use the opportunity to assure all the new members that they have all the rights and privileges within the party, to urge them to capitalize on the nationwide membership registration, to register their supporters. So both the old and new members should go to the portal and register all their members,” Yilwatda stated.
He added that the exercise would run until the end of January, stressing its importance ahead of upcoming party congresses.
“We expect that this drive should be done from now to January ending, 30th of January. All members must have registered and prepared for our congresses that will come ahead,” he said.
What you should know
Governor Caleb Mutfwang’s defection is significant because Plateau State had been governed by the PDP since the 2023 elections, making his move a strategic gain for the APC.
With this development, the ruling party claims full control of the North Central geopolitical zone, strengthening its political dominance ahead of future elections. The APC’s push for electronic membership registration signals a broader effort to modernise its internal processes, build a credible membership database, and prepare for internal congresses.
The deadline underscores the party’s urgency to consolidate its base as it absorbs new members from opposition parties.
