The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Plateau State has dismissed claims by Governor Caleb Mutfwang that some of its members have been pressuring him to defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Reacting to the governor’s remarks, the APC’s Acting Publicity Secretary, Shittu Bamaiyi, described Mutfwang as “living in self-denial,” insisting that no genuine member of the party was interested in wooing him.
Bamaiyi said if the governor truly meant well for his supporters and the state, he should have had the courage to name those allegedly pressuring him and explain the reasons behind their actions.
“If he truly meant well for his supporters and the state, he should have courageously named those pressuring him and explained why,” Bamaiyi said.
He added that it was a “big minus” for a sitting governor when the opposition openly rejects his possible defection, even when that party’s goal is to win future elections.
“Whatever the case, it is a big minus for a sitting governor when the opposition openly objects to his joining its ranks, even when that party’s goal is to win future elections,” he stated.
Governor Mutfwang had earlier revealed that some APC members had approached him to leave the PDP, but he insisted that only God and the people who voted for him could influence such a decision.
Speaking over the weekend at a banquet held at the Government House in Jos, the governor said:
“It is true that they are putting pressure on me. But I told them that only two people can authorise me to change my party — the God of heaven and you, the people.”
He further claimed that a majority of APC members in the state secretly desired to have him in their fold.
“Those who pretend to reject me are only hiding their true feelings. The truth is that 60 to 70 percent of APC members in Plateau would be glad to have us join them, but they know I won’t,” Mutfwang said.
