Africa-Press – Nigeria. Plateau State Governor, Barr. Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang, has reacted to allegations by some political figures in the state that he betrayed the people by dumping the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the All Progressives Congress, APC.
The governor insisted that what he did was not a betrayal but an alignment with the ruling party for the good of the people who gave him their mandate by voting for him in 2023.
Since his official declaration for the APC on January 27, Mutfwang has come under intense criticism, with critics saying he betrayed the people of by state for his personal political survival.
However, in an interactive session with journalists at the Government House in Jos on Saturday, the governor said his action has been misinterpreted as he took the decision in the overall interest of the state.
He noted that PDP has become a party in turmoil with no feasible resolution of its troubles in the view.
Mutfwang said he had no intention of leaving the PDP even though he was under intense pressure, including President Bola Tinubu personally reaching out to him but the problems in the PDP later convinced him aligning with the APC was the best option and platform to be with in 2027.
“Going into 2027, I needed a platform. When I looked at it and saw that the PDP was not likely going to become a viable platform for 2027, I had to think of an option. The options were either to look for a new political party or to accept the invitation by the President,” the governor said.
“When I did my own intelligence gathering about the state of parties in Nigeria, I found that it was least dangerous for me to respond to the President than to think of a new platform. I have never believed in the gladiators in the ADC, for example, and I didn’t think that was an option for me.”
Speaking on why the alignment with the APC will ultimately be of benefit for the people of the state, Mutfwang said the developments witnessed in the state in terms of education, security, agriculture and other sectors when he was in the PDP, would only be enhanced with the state being aligned to the ruling party.
“Like I said during my speech at the reception on January 27, the people of Plateau State should expect more development now that we are in the APC. They should expect more collaboration, more enhancement and more support to continue what we have started doing.
“I must be honest, we haven’t witnessed hostility from the federal government. At least in the last one year plus, I think I’ve enjoyed considerable collaboration with the federal government.
“What is emerging is that Plateau State is becoming like the jewel of the crown in the North Central. I believe that all the potential to harvest votes on the Plateau will be nurtured so that we can deliver on the potential and produce that we hold.”
Gov. Mutfwang concluded by acknowledging that Plateau people are rational voters and know when to trust the judgement of their leader.
“Many people may not necessarily be current members of the APC, but they have shown commitment that wherever we go, they are with us. At the end of the day, it is not party membership but voter support that matters.
“Since we made the decision to cross over, we have been engaging the grassroots. Many of them only wanted to be spoken to and to hear the reasoning behind our decision. Leaders across faith and ethnicity have come to appreciate the rationale.”
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