The Immediate Past Elected Councillors Forum of Nigeria, Plateau state chapter, has called on President Bola Tinubu and APC National Chairman Nentawe Yilwatda, Senator Simon Lalong, and the APC state chairman Rufus Bature, to reject any attempt by Governor Caleb Mutfwang to join the party.

Speaking at a press conference in Jos, the Forum’s Chairman, Dabit John Dashe, dismissed a recent endorsement from a group called the “Coalition of Concerned Former APC Councillors and Grassroots Mobilisation (CFACGM)” as a “desperate attempt by the Governor and his agents to smuggle him into the party through the backdoor,” they said labeling the group as “non-existent and faceless.”

The Forum expressed confusion over the governor’s alleged motives, noting he had previously dismissed the APC. 

“The Governor has consistently stated that there’s no APC in Plateau state and has no intention of joining a party on the verge of collapse. 

His recent desperation to join the APC is therefore puzzling,” Dashe stated.

The Forum cited Mutfwang’s governance record as the primary reason for their rejection, accusing him of ignoring Supreme Court orders and sacking over 4,000 youths.

 “The Mutfwang’s government has disengaged over 4000 Plateau youths… [and] sacked democratically elected Chairmen and Councillors… Such actions disqualify Governor Mutfwang from joining our progressive party,” the Forum argued.

The former APC Councillors commended Plateau people for enduring the, “Mutfwang regime’s maladministration, which has led to suffering, homelessness, and job losses.”

They also reminded APC leaders of the governor’s past rhetoric against the APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket during the 2023 presidential campaign.

“…we still want to remind the governor that our party is still the Muslim-Muslim ticket he demonized in 2023,” the Forum said. 

It also said Mutfwang’s desperation to join the APC raises suspicions about his motives, believing that accepting him would be a self-infliction on our party, APC.

The Forum said giving the APC’s strong presence in Plateau State, with most National and State Assembly members, they questioned what value Mutfwang would bring to the APC and urged him to remain in the PDP.

 “We reject any attempt to bring Mutfwang into our party and urge him to remain in the PDP, allowing us to work as opposition and hold him accountable,” they said.