Praises And Panic: APC Sees PDP Chairman’s Endorsement Of Gov Mutfwang As Cry For Relevance

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has slammed the chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Plateau State, Chris Hassan, not just for praising Governor Caleb Mutfwang, but for what it calls a desperate attempt to stay politically afloat.

Hassan’s effusive endorsement of Governor Mutfwang’s nearly two-year-old administration during a Thursday press briefing raised more eyebrows than applause, at least from the opposition.

Hassan hailed Mutfwang’s “focus on equity and justice” and assured party members that recent defections to the APC were minor and expected in any democratic process.

But it was his bold claim that “everything is under control” that appeared to trigger a storm within the opposition ranks.

In a swift and stinging rebuttal, the APC accused the PDP chairman of playing damage control for a party that is, in their words, “haemorrhaging loyalty.”

The APC’s State Publicity Secretary, Shittu Bamaiyi, said Hassan’s praise was less about achievements and more about masking a leadership crisis in the PDP.

“Hassan’s press conference wasn’t a celebration—it was a distress call. His desperate appeal to PDP members to ‘stay calm’ in the face of defections tells us all we need to know: the party is bleeding from within,” Bamaiyi said.

The APC also accused the Mutfwang-led administration of financial opacity, questioning the use of increased federal allocations and internally generated revenue under its watch. “It’s disturbing that with all the money coming in, there’s little to show on the ground,” he added.

But beyond the accusations and counter-accusations, the underlying political theatre is more telling.

The APC claims that not only are defections from the PDP continuing, but murmurs suggest that some of the party’s top figures, possibly including the governor himself, may be eyeing a switch.