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An All Progressives Congress (APC) youth leader in Taraba State, Abubakar Gambo, has said Governor Agbu Kefas told APC stakeholders that President Bola Tinubu has approved his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to APC. Gambo added that the governor said Tinubu formally handed him (Kefas) over to the APC national chairman, Nentawe Yilwatda, to ensure the defection is finalised. APC youth leader, made the revelation to journalists, after an expanded meeting with Governor Agbu Kefas, at the T.Y Danjuma House in Abuja, according to reports on Businessday and Premiumtimes respectively. However, those at the meeting, LEADERSHIP gathered are APC youth leaders from the 16 local government areas, and the three Senatorial Districts in the state and some few stakeholders from the state. Gambo, who noted that plans to receive the governor are almost concluded, said “Governor Kefas called us to inform us of his readiness to join our great party, the APC, in Taraba State. “He also told us that he had met with President Tinubu, who received him and handed him over to the national chairman of our party.” He added that the governor assured the youths of inclusion in his administration once he formally joins the APC. “He promised to work closely with us, just as he did while in the PDP. We believe in his leadership,” Gambo stated. Also speaking, Idris Ayuba, chairman of the APC Youth Vanguard, Taraba State chapter, confirmed that the governor’s defection process has already been concluded at the national level. “Governor Kefas’ move to the APC is a done deal. What remains is the formal reception by stakeholders at the ward, local government, and state levels,” Ayuba disclosed. He urged Taraba youths to rally behind the governor, describing Kefas as a youth-friendly leader whose policies have consistently empowered young people. Also, in a statement he issued on Thursday in Jalingo, Rikwense Muri the Taraba State APC Youth Vanguard’s Publicity Secretary, said said the governor met with key youth leaders and influencers within the APC to discuss building a united political front for the accelerated transformation of Taraba State through stronger collaboration with the federal government. The APC Youth Vanguard Publicity Secretary, quoted Governor’s Keas as saying that, “Taraba could no longer afford to remain isolated from the mainstream of national politics”, Muri said. “He explained that his decision to realign politically was driven by the higher goal of ensuring greater development, improved security, and increased federal presence in the state. When contacted by LEADERSHIP Friday about the development, the special adviser to the governor on Political Matters and Special Duties, Dr. Josiah Sabo Kente, said “Sorry, I can’t talk right now.” The state commissioner of Information and Orientation, Barr. Zainab Usman Ahmed, neither returned calls nor replied to text messages sent to her on the matter. Governor Kefas was elected in 2023 under the platform of the PDP, a party that has dominated Taraba’s political scene since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.
