Governor Agbu Kefas of Taraba State has declared that delivering his state to President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress in the 2027 elections will not be a difficult task, despite grumblings from some Peoples Democratic Party loyalists unhappy with his defection to the ruling party.
Kefas spoke to State House correspondents on Wednesday after his first meeting with the President since his formal defection to the APC on January 31, 2026.
The governor said he was confident that his grassroots support remained intact and that he had done the strategic mapping necessary to guarantee a landslide victory for the President.
“You know where I’m coming from. You know my background, military strategic intelligence. And we don’t just do things like that.
“We have done all our mapping, our planning, and I’m on the ground, and I have the people. The people have me, and I’ve always told them I have no business being in government than for them.
“So I have already won the mandate of the local, and I don’t think delivering Mr President and myself will be a difficult job. Taraba is for him, and he’s going to get nothing less than 100 per cent,” he said.
The governor was responding to questions about media reports suggesting that some of his former PDP loyalists had taken to social media to express displeasure over his decision to move to the APC alongside certain individuals they considered controversial.
Kefas, who defected alongside members of the state House of Assembly, the State Executive Council, all 16 local government chairmen and numerous appointees, dismissed the reports, insisting that his relationship with the people of Taraba remained unshaken.
“I’ve always told them I have no business being in government than for them,” he said.
The governor disclosed that his meeting with Tinubu at the Presidential Villa focused on strategic issues concerning security, the welfare of the people of Taraba State, and broader national concerns.
“This is not the first time meeting with Mr President. But since my movement to the ruling party, I’ve not seen Mr President.
“So I decided to come and see him and discuss some strategic issues concerning security, concerning the welfare of the people of Taraba State, and also support for Nigeria.
“And it was a very meaningful discussion, and this is what we keep doing from time to time to strengthen the relationship between the subnational and the Federal,” Kefas said.
He added that Tinubu expressed happiness with his performance and had shown “very strong interest” in the progress of Taraba State, particularly its vast agricultural potential.
“Taraba State has a lot of natural resources. We have very large portions of arable land for farming.
“And as you know, agriculture is one of the very strong drives for Mr President, and Taraba State is one of those states that can contribute meaningfully to that,” he said.
Kefas also provided an update on his administration’s mechanised farming programme, which was a major campaign promise ahead of his 2023 election.
He disclosed that yields had increased tremendously following the importation of tractors and their deployment to farmers across the state.
“The yield from farming, in terms of mechanised farming in Taraba State, has increased tremendously.
“We have imported a lot of tractors on the ground, and people are using those tractors to farm. So we’re making progress,” he said.
He, however, noted that the next stage of the programme would involve the establishment of processing plants within the state to add value to the crops being produced.
“What we need to move to is the next level, where we have processing plants to process those crops within the state. So in the near future, we’re going to see that in action,” he said.
On security, the governor painted a picture of steady improvement, noting that Taraba residents could now move freely, in sharp contrast to the climate of fear that once gripped the state.
“Before I came into this position, it was very difficult to stay out at 4 pm, and I know that we have some indigenes of Taraba State here with you.
“But now you can move freely in Taraba State. You can move without security in Taraba State, but you can’t rule out a few areas where you have some security issues, and you have some crime.
“You can’t get it 100 per cent, but I want to assure you that at least we have peace in Taraba,” he said.
Kefas, who was elected on the platform of the PDP in 2023, had initially scheduled his defection to the APC for November 19, 2025, but postponed the ceremony following the abduction of schoolgirls in Kebbi State, describing it as “insensitive” to hold such an event during a national tragedy.
The defection was further delayed and eventually rescheduled for January 31, 2026, when he was formally received by Vice President Kashim Shettima at a grand ceremony held at the Jolly Nyame Stadium in Jalingo, the state capital.
The defection, which drew party leaders and supporters from across Taraba’s 16 local government areas, was described by Shettima as “a moment of pride for the party and the nation.”
At the event, the APC National Chairman, Prof Nentawe Yilwatda, called it a major boost that would unlock the state’s vast economic and developmental potential.
Kefas became the fifth PDP governor to defect to the APC in 2025, following Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta, Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom, Peter Mbah of Enugu, and Douye Diri of Bayelsa.
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