By Desire Emmanuel
President Bola Tinubu on Saturday, January 31, declared that governors including those who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) remain leaders of the party in their respective states.
Tinubu said this on Saturday at the reception to welcome Taraba State governor, Agbu Kefas, into the APC held in Jalingo, the state capital.
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, Tinubu announced that Kefas has assumed the leadership of the party in the state by the virtue of his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the APC.
He expressed his determination to support the governor and his cabinet to bring development to the state..
He noted that the governor was making efforts to unite the state and harmonise the diversities in the state to attain unity.
The president urged the people of the state to rally behind the governor and support him to succeed.
He expressed satisfaction with the defection of a governor in the North East geopolitical zone, calling on both Adamawa and Bauchi states to join the party at the centre.
Earlier, Professor Nentawe Yelwatda, National Chairman of the APC, commended Kefas for being courageous by defecting to the ruling party.
Yelwatda said that Kefas did not make a mistake by leaving the sinking PDP to the APC.
He described the decision as a big achievement as it would enable the governor to get the economy of the state and the youth and women of the state to be productive.
According to him, the state will now be a part and parcel of the winning party in 2027.
He assured all the members of the APC, both old and new, of equal opportunities in the activities of the party, advising the governor to stand for everybody.
In his remarks, Senator Godswill Akpabio, President of the Senate, congratulated the people of Taraba and the governor, saying the defection would benefit the state.
Governor Kefas said that the event was to shape the future of Taraba State, encouraging all in attendance and everybody not to dwell in the past but focus on the future.
He said the move was for the people of Taraba not for his personal interests.
