•Taraba PDP Chairman resigns, Speaker, 15 members House of Assembly Dumbs PDP for APC


Musa Peace Affos, Jalingo

Taraba State is entering one of the most dramatic political turning points since its creation, as Governor Agbu Kefas has officially confirmed that he will defect from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on November 19, 2025. The governor made the announcement while inspecting ongoing renovation work at the Jolly Nyame Stadium, the venue where he will be formally received by Vice-President Kashim Shettima and a full delegation of APC governors.

Addressing journalists at the stadium on Saturday, Kefas stated clearly that the move is not speculation but a final, confirmed transition, declaring that he is decamping “for the benefit of Tarabans and for the destiny of Taraba State.” His remarks signal the end of PDP’s 26-year uninterrupted rule in Taraba and the start of a political realignment that is already generating both excitement and anxiety.

Taraba’s political history has been dominated by the PDP since 1999. Although the first civilian governor of the state, Rev. Jolly Tavoro Nyame, was elected under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in 1992, his tenure was cut short by military intervention. When democracy returned in 1999, Nyame contested under the PDP, governed from 1999 to 2003, won re-election, and served until 2007. He was succeeded by Danbaba Danfulani Suntai, who ruled from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2011 to 2015, before complications from a plane crash in 2012 eventually led to his passing in 2017.

In 2015, Architect Darius Dickson Ishaku, a former Minister of State for Power, took over and ruled until 2019, then secured a final term from 2019 to 2023, after which he lost his senatorial bid. His successor, Agbu Kefas, a former PDP State Chairman, emerged as governor under the PDP in 2023 after a controversial primary.

But that long-standing PDP grip is now collapsing: not through elections, but through political migration.

Already, heavy political giants have arrived in Jalingo ahead of the defection. Among them is Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, one of Taraba’s most influential political figures and the APC gubernatorial candidate who fiercely contested against Kefas in the 2023 governorship election after leaving the PDP for the APC. His presence is seen as symbolic, considering that he once battled Governor Kefas for the same seat they will now share under the same party.

Other notable figures in the APC, such as Senator Yusuf A. Yusuf, are also believed to have an eye on the 2027 governorship ticket. This raises a critical question: What happens to these long-standing APC aspirants when the governor backed by the full power of incumbency—arrives with his entire political structure?

In a fresh development that underscores the magnitude of the ongoing shift, the Speaker of the Taraba State House of Assembly, Hon. Joseph Kizito Bonzena, and all the PDP lawmakers in the Taraba State House of Assembly have officially defected to the APC. The defection, confirmedearlier adds enormous weight to the political cross-movement gathering momentum across the state.

Top government sources confirm that Kefas will defect with his full political machinery, including party executives, advisers, commissioners, and grassroots coordinators. There are already strong indications though yet to be formally announced that some members of the House of Representatives and senators, may join him. If this happens, the APC in Taraba will be reconfigured overnight.

This creates an unavoidable dilemma:
Where will all these political interests fit?

For years, stalwarts like Emmanuel Bwacha, Yusuf A. Yusuf, and other senior APC loyalists have nurtured ambitions for the 2027 governorship. With Governor Kefas entering the party as the highest-ranking political figure in the state, analysts predict that internal friction is inevitable. Some argue that if the transition is not carefully negotiated, Taraba APC may face internal crises that could trigger further defections into smaller parties.

The PDP, on the other hand, faces an uncertain future. Just two weeks ago, the party swept all 16 local government chairmanship seats, strengthening its grassroots control. Yet the looming defection of the governor means that the PDP’s freshly elected local government chairmen may also move to the APC with him, effectively emptying the party’s structures.

The Taraba State PDP Chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Bawa has just resigned from the party.

This raises another critical question:
Who will now lead the PDP, and who will challenge the governor in 2027?

With the PDP State Chairman, Alhaji Bawa, recently seen at the party’s national convention in Ibadan, observers believe that the PDP leadership may attempt to hold the party together. But whether the PDP has the strength to withstand the impending exodus remains uncertain.

Minutes ago, the Taraba Commissioner of Information, Hajiya Zainab has confirmed the mass defection of all Kefas cabinet to APC from PDP.

As the state counts down to November 19, one thing is clear: Taraba’s political map is about to be redrawn. Whether this shift strengthens the APC, fractures it internally, or permanently cripples the PDP will depend on how the coming weeks unfold.

But for now, history has already been written — APC has taken over Taraba without an election.